Just Friends
by BowChickaBowWoww
Summary: 'Percy, calm down. Yeah, she's pretty- no, beautiful, but you have to restrain yourself, and your hormones! You don't want Annabeth to think you're a weirdo! She's been gone for two years, that leaves a lot of thinking. So, remember, YOU'RE JUST FRIENDS'
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! Well, this story is in the sense that Percy and the gang are humans, so I hope you don't get confused. I own nothing except the storyline! Hope you enjoy (:**

**Chapter 1**

I punched Grove on the shoulder as he told a lame joke. He groaned, I think I hit him a little hard. I tapped my foot repeatedly as we waited for the train. I was nervous. No, I was not nervous because this was the first day of tenth grade. No, I was not nervous because this was a new school I was attending. I was nervous because my best friend since I was twelve left for two years, and came back to New York yesterday, and she will also be attending this school. I mean, yeah, she might be the same girl that left to California two years ago, but, you never know, things might change, as Grover repeatedly tells me.

I was more excited than nervous. I miss talking to Annabeth. "Calm down, Percy." Grover tried reassuring me that I was freaking out over nothing, but he has a tendency to be wrong sometimes.

Grover and I stepped on the train and quickly found seats. I shifted in my clothes, a dark blue shirt with some graphic on it and blue jeans, along with black sneakers. Grover looked awkward and uncomfortable, munching on his green apple.

At the school, we were quickly handed out schedules and pushed through the doors of our first class, which was English. _Always English. _Grover wasn't in this class, so I was alone for the time being. I sat by the window, not paying attention to the teacher, as always, when someone walked into the classroom.

Being late on your first day of school is kind of corny, so I turned slightly to see who it was, and my jaw nearly hit the floor. There she was, wearing a gray blouse and _short _shorts, her hair perfectly curled, and her skin deeply tanned.

_Well, she certainly grew. _She looked nervous as she glanced around and handed a few papers to the teacher, who looked them over and gestured her to take any seat. She spotted me, and her face nearly lit up. She bit her lip and hurried to the seat behind me.

The teacher continued his introduction. "Been a while, hasn't it, Seaweed Brain?" She whispered, I could hear the smile in her voice as she opened her notebook and scribbled down a few words.

I couldn't help it, I smiled at the nickname. I smiled at the fact that she was _here. _"About two boring years, Wise Girl." I replied, chuckling, trying to take the goofy smile off my face.

"A little too long for my taste." She laughed lightly. I glanced back at her intelligent gray eyes. She winked, and then went back to her notes.

"It's good to have you back, Annabeth." I muttered, still smiling, and shook my head.

After class, Annabeth took the opportunity to strangle me with a hug. "Jeez, Percy, You don't know how much I miss New York." She breathed as she let go looking around. "I can't believe I was late. I spent two hours memorizing the map, and I still got lost!"

I laughed, "You memorized the map? You're such a nerd!"

She pushed me lightly, rolling her eyes. _God, I missed her. _"I just like being prepared, that's all. Anyway, what's been going on with you? I haven't heard from you in a while!"

I shrugged, "Nothing much… Sally got married to Blowfish… Grover finally talked to that girl, Juniper. I guess I've just been hanging around."

Annabeth nodded, still keeping a bright smile on her face. I suddenly felt like I was boring her. "That's so great! I wish I was here for the wedding… Where is Grover anyway?" She went on her tip-toes; I couldn't help but check her out.

_God, she's pretty, _I thought stupidly. She glanced up at me, and then hid a smile. I felt myself get nervous again. "What?"

"You got _so _tall. Remember when I use to be taller than you?" She said, putting her books in her bag.

I laughed, that was true. I have to look down at her now, which, in fact, didn't give me such a bad view. "Way to bring up my awkward years, Annabeth. I feel embarrassed just thinking about it." I complained, running my hands through my dark hair.

"You didn't look all that bad." She replied, I tried hiding a blush that was creeping up my neck, _men do not blush. _She stepped back and studied me. "You grew out your hair." She grinned, "It looks good."

"You don't look too bad yourself." I teased.

"Oh stop, you're making me blush." She said sarcastically. "We're going to be late, see you at lunch." She practically ran to her next class.

I smiled to myself and went the opposite way, to History. Three hours later, I was sitting in the lunchroom with Grover, talking about Annabeth. "She looks gorgeous, man!" Grover exclaimed, constantly elbowing me.

I grinned, "What's your point?"

"You know you always had a crush on her!" He replied, trying to act serious as he ate his mashed potatoes.

I nearly spit out my apple juice. "No, I did not! That's like saying I like… my sister."

"You don't have a sister."

"Well, if I did-"

"Hey, Annabeth!" Grover interrupted, smiling widely, his shaggy red hair going over his eyes.

Annabeth hugged him, and went on about how much she missed him. I resisted sighing out loud, and played around with my food. Grover glanced at me shortly, "What's the matter, Percy? J-" He didn't finish that sentence. I accidently stuffed mashed potatoes in his mouth.

He glared at me behind Annabeth's back as Annabeth looked at me weirdly. "So, how was California?" I asked her.

She brightened up. "It was great! There were so many type of building designs, I spoke with an architecture, worked with her in a way, and… it's was just great. The weather was _amazing._"

I think the weather agreed with her, too; her tan gave her a summer glow. "Annabeth!" Someone yelled, we turned our heads to see, Annabeth's brightened up.

I frowned, and then groaned. "Hey, Rachel!" Annabeth gestured her to sit.

Rachel glanced at me, smiled, and then quickly looked away. "Grover, Percy, this is Rachel. Rachel-"

"Oh, I know who they are." Rachel interrupted, chuckling, her bright red hair bounced and she shook her head.

I could tell Annabeth felt the tension in the air; she glanced at me as if to say, _don't tell me you messed up already. _"That's great then!" Annabeth added to Rachel's comment.

Rachel didn't look so assured. For some reason, I took to laughing, the situation was _too _awkward. Grover started laughing along, too, and Annabeth mustered up a smile.

"I have to go, so, I'll see you guys later." Rachel said cheerfully and practically _skipped _away in her paint-covered shirt.

Annabeth immediately turned to me. "What'd you do?" She asked, well, demanded.

I put my hands up, "Nothing! She just had a little crush on me!" Seeing her face, I let out a laugh, "Honestly!"

"Alright…" She gave Grover a sideways look, which looked down at his food.

I rolled my eyes. Someone slid into the seat next to Annabeth. A boy with shaggy hair, pale skin, dark eyes, and a cocky attitude. "Hey, I'm Nico, you're Annabeth right?" Nico asked, munching on a churro. Annabeth smiled and nodded. "So, you're the famous girl Percy's always talking about."

I glared at Nico, who continued smiling sincerely at Annabeth. Annabeth hid a smile, though her cheeks were tinted a slight pink. I shook my head, "Don't mind him, he's an ass." I told her.

Nico ran his hand through his hair and resisted laughing. "Well, guys, how was your first day of sophomore year?" He asked, raising his voice.

"Oh, god, Nico, just stop talking." I groaned, he sounded way too cheerful.

"The day's not even over yet." Grover said.

"My day's going great." Annabeth shrugged, studying a paper.

"What is that? Honors English? Looks like we have another smartass here!" Nico high-fived her, showing off he, as well as Annabeth, had all honors classes.

"Too bad you're only book smart." I muttered.

Nico glared, I smirked. We talked for a bit, catching up with Annabeth, joking around, and just all-around enjoying ourselves. I wasn't nervous about Annabeth as much anymore. She didn't change, she just got prettier… and funnier… and _older_… and… probably even more amazing than she was before. I was deep in my thoughts when Nico waved his hand in front of my face.

"Dude, what?" I slapped his hand away, taking Annabeth's churro, with her shortly protesting.

"I _said _we should all go bowling Friday. We could invite Thalia, too." Nico suggested.

I smiled inwardly; Nico had a tiny crush on Thalia, though he never admitted. Annabeth perked up, Thalia was her best friend since she was seven, though Thalia's a year older. Grover agreed, he was obviously bringing Juniper along, Annabeth instantly agreed.

I glanced at Annabeth, "If you're going, I guess I'll go, too."


	2. Chapter 2

**I've gotten positive feedbacks, so I'll continue this story (: Thanks everyone for the wonderful reviews! I'll try to update as much as I can!**

**Chapter 2 **

"So, what you're saying is that Annabeth is you're long-time best friend that you met at some camp, and then you fell in love with her at first sight? Then she left, only to return two years later, a totally different person, which makes you even more in love with her?" Nico was telling me.

We were in Nico's dad's massive condo hanging out in his game room. Nico was going on about something that was totally off topic.

My eyes were narrowed at him the whole time; I held my pool stick loosely and twirled it around, putting off Nico's ridiculous claims. "I didn't say any of that, where the hell were you when I was talking? We weren't even talking about Annabeth!" I exclaimed, and then groaned when Nico got another ball in.

He didn't a silent cheer, and then missed his next turn, frowning. "He's reading between the lines. He smart, he knows that. He knows more about you than you know about you!" Grover intercepted, watching some game on the TV.

Nico nodded enthusiastically, "The kid's telling the truth." He smirked when I missed the ball.

Grover glared at him shortly, and then returned to his game. "Nico, seriously, she's not anything other than my best friend." I told him.

Nico got the lucky eight ball in, "Yes! I'm still the champion! Percy, you suck." Nico chuckled, "You like her, and you just don't know it yet."

"Trust me; I would know how I feel about a girl." I told him, setting up for a rematch.

Nico's eyes widened slightly, a cocky grin settled on his face. "_Oh, _like Rachel?"

I shook my head, grinning. "That has nothing to do with anything." I told him.

"You don't even know meaning of feelings! You weren't '_sure' _that you liked her, so you just hooked up with her and dropped her!" Grover argued.

I took this to offense, "No, I didn't! We dated for a while…" I said, making another ball in.

"Oh, sure." Nico rolled his eyes. He cursed when he put the white ball in and lost a turn.

"Like you know anything about relationships, Nico. How many girls have you dated this past year?" I asked, mockingly.

He stared at me for a moment. "Eh," he shrugged, that cocky fragrance surrounding him.

I shook my head, _sheesh._

* * *

><p>"I don't know how to bowl." Annabeth admitted once she set her eyes on the lanes. I studied her while she spoke. She was wearing a plain, white V-neck, and brown shorts. This was probably the first time I've seen her <em>without <em>grey, which was weird because that's her signature color. Then, I realize her shirt was slightly see-through, so I could _see through _her shirt and see that she was wearing a grey bra under. I kept myself from chuckling, but then quickly raised my eyes to her face, staring at her chest probably wasn't the best way to stay on her good side. "Percy, you okay?" She asked an amused look on her face.

I nodded, and then realized I had a whole conversation in my head about her not wearing grey. I smiled and shook my head, "They don't have bowling arenas in California?" I teased.

She rolled her eyes and pushed a few strands a hair behind her curly hair. "They do, I just never went. The idea of wearing used shoes is… dirty." She scrunched up her face.

I laughed, "That's a part of the fun! Come on, I'll pay for yours." I took her hand, and then realized that _I was holding her hand. _

"I can pay for myself, Percy." She sighed, and then glanced at our intertwined hands.

"I know that." I replied casually. I let go of her hand to take money out my pocket, and then suddenly felt cold. I shook off the feeling and paid for the shoes.

She glared, "I was going to pay!"

"Ha, too bad," I grinned then passed her the shoes. "Try them on."

We had finished putting the shoes on when Nico and Grover stepped in. Followed by Thalia and Juniper. Thalia is known for her electric blue eyes and her for her spikey hair. She has pale skin, thin, and is usually in black, just like Nico, and wears mostly punk style clothes. Juniper is the quietest of the group, and she's just like Grover. She loves the earth and wants to save the planet from pollution. She ash this natural pretty look, with her long brown hair, brown eyes, and browns and golds and reds. Grover's lucky to have her.

"Hey," Annabeth greet, smiling at everyone, Thalia hugged her, and then put her arm around her.

"Percy, did you fill her mind with your crazy logic yet?" She asked, grinning.

I laughed, "I hope so, and she's here, isn't she?"

We all shared a laugh, while Juniper, Thalia, and Annabeth talked about girl things, us manly men spoke. "Annabeth doesn't know how to bowl." I told the guys.

Nico smiled evilly. Grover groaned, "Nico, don't, please?"

I ran my through my hair and then smoothed out my plaid shirt. "What?" I wondered aloud.

"_Teach _her." Nico suggested, winking in the girls direction.

I raised an eyebrow, "You mean, use one of your moves?" I asked, bemused.

He shrugged, "They work."

"I'm not trying to hook up with her. She's my friend." I reminded him.

"_Sure._" Grover rolled his eyes. I shot him a dirty look; he put his hand up in defeat. The girls came by, and then the game started.

Nico and Thalia were tied an hour later. Grover and Juniper were in the middle, and Annabeth and I were dead last. It was insanely hilarious, though, because Annabeth couldn't throw the bowling ball right.

"Okay, try again." I told her, while holding in laughter.

She sighed, though she was smiling, too. She picked up a fairly heavy ball, and when I asked to help, she refused. _Stubborn. _She swung her arm back, and then suddenly, she went tumbling down with it as she went to throw it. She slid on her stomach a few feet and then let go of the ball. It took a moment to register what happened, and then the six of us started cracking up.

I went to go help her up, nearly crying from all the laughter, but then she pulled me and I fell down next to her. She rolled onto her back and laughed loudly, all the while making me laugh even more.

A couple employees 'suggested' we get off the lanes and stop disturbing the other people bowling, so our laughter died down as we made our way to our table.

Finally we calmed down, the six of us, and ordered food. "I asked if you needed help." I chuckled.

She smiled and shook her head, Thalia snickered. "That literally made my night. Thanks guys, for being _you._" She laughed.

We were able to play a normal game, without falling and trying to hit each other with the ball. Of course we ended up throwing it to other lanes, so the manager urged us the leave. So in other words, we were kicked out.

As we walked down the dark street, we joked about the day. We also noticed that Nico and Thalia edged a little far away from our group. Whispering in each other's ears. Grover had his arm around Juniper, so Annabeth and I were awkward left out. Like… a third pair of wheels. _That didn't make any sense._

"So, does your friend like Thalia or what?" Annabeth asked, shivering slightly and slipping her hands in her pockets, as if that provided much protected.

I shyly draped my sweater over her shoulders, she smiled at me. "I don't know, it depends. Does she like him?" I replied, shrugging.

She bit her lip, a small movement that made me smile and my stomach flip. _Wait – what? _"I just don't want her to get hurt. He better not be playing any games, I've heard he's a bit of a player." She admitted.

"Maybe I don't want him to get hurt." I responded slyly, raising a cocky eyebrow.

She grinned and shook her head, "Okay, okay, I get it." She said softly.

I gave her a curiously look, "You alright?" I asked, stopping.

She seemed to be deep in thought, and then smiled. "What? Yeah, of course."

I did a daring move, I put my arm around her and started walking, "Come on, it's getting late, Wise Girl."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews everyone, it means a lot!**

**Chapter 3**

I stared at Annabeth, eyebrows scrunched, as she tried explaining something to me. She was telling me something about math and factoring. I understood it pretty well, but the way she explain it to me made me want to go to sleep. It was lunch. Who gets tired _at lunch? _I sighed loudly.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow and stopped talking. "Oh, I'm sorry, Percy, am I boring you?" She asked.

I shook my head, "No, no of course not." I lied.

"Hey, you asked me to help you." She said, and I felt a little guilty.

I frowned slightly, and then grinned. I squeezed a part of her knee, a sensitive part; she squealed and jumped up, while I cracked up. She glared at me, but then mustered up a smile. In a few seconds, Nico, Grover, and Juniper joined us. Nico's older sister, Bianca, by a year sat down, too. She looked just like him, except darker.

"Ew." She said when she saw him; he glared shortly, but then went back to his fries. "Anyway, kiddies, as you know, homecoming is in a few weeks, and the school needs to raise money. Do you guys want to participate in the annual car wash, to help pay for the dance?"

"I don't know… I've got this environment club thing…" Grover started.

"I made plans…" Nico scratched his head.

"Well, I have to study…" I muttered.

"I'll do it. When is it?" Annabeth chirped.

I groaned, and then Juniper spoke up. "Me, too. Sounds like fun." She shrugged.

Bianca looked at me expectantly. "Fine." I sighed.

"Nico, you're doing it. Or I'm telling mom. Grover? It's in about two weeks, it won't hurt." She smiled brightly.

"Alright, sure. I'm sure it won't be too bad." He gave in.

She smiled, and then jumped up and went to the next table. Annabeth smirked at me, I glared at her shortly. She grinned and went back to her food. Then, this kid passed by, I think his name was Luke, he was a senior, and she glanced up.

"Hey, Annabeth." He greeted, waving a little.

She seemed… Nervous? I looked at her curiously as she held her breath and waved back, smiling. I raised an eyebrow at here, though something in my stomach churned. "You and Luke?" I whispered to her.

She jumped, and then blushed. "What?" She dragged out the word, "Psh, no, what are you talking about." She looked away and then scratched her head. I smiled and then shook my head, shaking off a weird vibe I got from her.

* * *

><p>A week later, I suppose I've gotten into the normal routine for school. That Friday, I stayed in, not really wanting to do anything. It was pretty late, around midnight, and I was wide awake. I took out my phone and scrolled down my contacts list. Stopping at <em>Wise Girl, <em>I send a quick text and waited. Five minutes later, she responded.

I slipped on jeans, a white-tee, sweatshirt, and Adidas. I lifted the window of my room up, and quickly slipped outside, into the fire escape. I climbed down the stairs and took off walking in the direction of a nearby park.

Annabeth arrived a little after me. She wore sweatpants, slippers, and a t-shirt. She never looked more beautiful. _I mean… what? _She was putting her hair into a pony-tail as she glared at me.

"Percy Jackson, you are going to get me in trouble for sneaking out." She warned.

I smiled at her, hoping I looked cute enough so her anger could deflate. She rolled her eyes and laughed. We sat on the swings for a while. "So… How was your day?" I asked.

She gave me curious look. "I know you didn't ask me to come out here for nothing. You okay?" She asked, facing me. Her eyes looked bright.

The truth is, I really don't know. I just felt like being with her. Alone. I mean, sometimes I miss how Annabeth and I would just hang out alone and stuff. I miss the old days. These days, it's too confusing. What with our teenage thoughts whirling around our heads, we've never had time to just talk.

I put my hands in my pockets and shrugged. "Just wanted to see you I guess." I muttered.

She stared at me for a while, and then smiled. "_Aw, _you're cute." She teased.

I smiled, "Oh, really?" In a swift motion, I stood up, went over to her, and picked her up bridal style. She squealed as I ran away with her. "This cute enough for you?"

She managed to get down, how, I don't know. We cracked up, but I had an idea, so I lifted her up by the waist and ran down the street with her. She yelled at me the whole way, but I just threw her over my shoulder and tried not to look like I was kidnapping her. I'm surprised the cops didn't think this was suspicious.

When I finally stopped, a little out of breath, I put her down. She was going to yell at me, until she noticed our surroundings. We were at a large lake. The water was smooth and clean (kind of). There were large rocks sitting on the bank, so Annabeth and I set ourselves down and stared at the water.

Every now and then you would hear a frog croak, an owl hoot, and a cricket chirp. After a while, she leaned on my shoulder, and I put my arm around hers, keeping her warm.

"I like this." I said quietly.

"Hm?" She responded, a little dazed.

"I like this." I repeated, "It's comfortable. My mother and I used to go here when I was young and have a picnic. I haven't been here for a while. I actually don't know why I took you here." I chuckled, "It was the first and only thing I thought of."

"Well, considering I was brought here against my will, it's a pretty decent. I like it, too." She smiled, watching the ripples in the water.

I held her a little tighter and cherished the moment a little longer, happy to be with my best friend. At around two in the morning, I found myself dragging my feet up the fire escape and slipping through the opened window. I slid into bed, extremely tired, and fell straight to sleep.

* * *

><p>Saturday afternoon, Grover had some environment club thing with Juniper, so I decided to with Nico to the mall. He dragged me along so her can get new sneakers, and check out some girls, we were meeting a few other people. After he got his sneakers, we walked around a bit, and stopped to get some food.<p>

"You look tired, bro." Nico said with his mouth filled.

"Yeah, I was up last night with Annabeth." I replied, rubbing my eyes.

He raised an eyebrow, and smirked. "Up? With Annabeth? Alone? Last night? Doing what?"

I rolled my eyes and took a bit out of my burger. "Not what you think. I was bored, so we sneaked out and hung out."

"It's alright, you don't have to tell me anything." He said, amused.

"Nothing happened!" I sighed, and then smirked, "You and Thalia? What's the deal with you guys? You totally like each other, but you're not together. What's with that? You messing with her head?"

"More like she's messing with mine. She refused me twice saying '_she doesn't want a relationship'._" She grumbled to himself.

I chuckled, "_Aw,_ Nico's getting played with? It doesn't feel so good, does it? Karma's a bitch." I sang.

"You're a bitch." He retorted, glaring at me.

I glared at him, and then jumped as someone slapped my neck and sat on the seat next to mine. It was Charles Beckendorf. Charles is this burly, African-American kid who goes out with really pretty girl, Silena, top of the class. He looks mean, but he's actually a big softie. That's what love does to you.

Travis and Conner Stoll slid into the seats next to Nico. They're twins; upturned eyebrows, mischievous grins, plays-pranks-on-everything-that-walks kind of twins. Travis has a thing with Katie, who's in the environmental club with Juniper and Grover.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked them.

"Well, Percy…" Travis started.

"We couldn't help but over hear you talking about Annabeth." Conner finished. I shot a glare at Nico.

"So we're going to help you out a bit." Charles said, playing with a pen.

"I don't need any help. I don't like her like that, she's-"

"He needs help all right." Nico butted in.

"You know who needs help? Nico! Thalia's not falling for him, so he's pretty depressed."

"No, I'm not." Nico reassured them.

"Is that why you wear so much black?" Travis questioned.

"No, I-"

"We have the perfect idea! How about we get your girls a little present?" Conner suggested.

"No, thank you!" Nico and I said at the same time.

"Here we go!" Charles pushed us into a lingerie store, with Travis and Conner trailing behind.

Ten minutes later, we were kicked out for playing with the undergarments and other items in the store. Real mature, I know.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Later that week, Travis and Conner made my life hell. They constantly teased me about Annabeth, and I was nerves away from stuffing them in trash cans. I also decided to try something new with my hair. I got the sides shaved, and attacked it with hair gel, and _boom, _a perfectly styled Mohawk. I think it looked pretty good.

When I got to school, Annabeth practically died. She yelled at me for cutting my hair, but then complimented me and called me adorable, which I only partly approved of. We were eating lunch when Bianca reminded us about the car wash, and I added that to my list of things to whine about.

"It won't be that bad." Annabeth shrugged.

"I don't find washing cars… Simulating?" I said, well, more like questioned. I glanced at Annabeth for approval.

Annabeth chuckled and nodded, "It doesn't have to be a bore. I mean, as long as you're doing it with your friends, you'll enjoy yourself."

"That's corny." I said, she lightly pushed me and laughed.

Annabeth looked really pretty today. She does every day, but today she looked natural. She had her hair up, and wore a t-shirt with capris. I saw that kid again, Luke, and I studied her reaction. She glanced at him slightly, and she froze up a little. He waved; she smiled and looked down at her food. She nervously pushed strands of hair behind her ear.

I rolled my eyes. Something else rolled in the pit of my stomach, but I ignored it and tuned in to Nico's conversation with Grover. "Next Saturday." Nico was saying. "You going? It's at that senior's place, Luke?"

Annabeth looked up, "What?"

I glanced at her, and then back at Nico. "Party?" I questioned.

Nico nodded, "Yeah, his parents are in Hawaii for the week."

"Why am I just hearing about this?" I asked, talking a bite out of my sandwich.

"Cause you're a loser." Nico chuckled to himself, I glared at him.

"I'm going, then." Annabeth said, cheerfully.

"I guess I'll go." Grover shrugged, Juniper agreed. I nodded, looking at Annabeth.

* * *

><p>I walked to the car wash with Nico. I wore a simple wife beater and plaid shorts. Nico, as usual, wore a black V-neck and dark shorts. There was about half a dozen cars lined up already, and they were definitely dirty.<p>

Annabeth was there with Juniper and Thalia. I studied Annabeth; she wore a bathing suit top, gray with polka dots, and jean shorts. Mostly everyone but Nico and I wore bathing suits, so we seemed kind of out of place. Nico went straight to Thalia; I had to keep myself from laughing at him as he slipped while trying to get to her.

Annabeth walked over to me. "I really didn't think you'd show up." She grinned and then grabbed a sponge. I took one, too. She led me to one of the parked cars and we started scrubbing.

"Good to know you have some confidence in me." I muttered, smiling.

"Hey, you didn't seem that enthusiastic about all this." She shrugged.

"What are you talking about? I was ecstatic!"

"Don't be sarcastic with me, Seaweed Brain."

"Whatever you say, Wise Girl."

"Exactly, whatever I said."

"You're a little full of it."

She faked gasped, I smirked at her. Then, she took the bucket of water and threw it at me. In about five seconds, I was soaked. She was cracking up while I tried getting soap water out of my mouth.

"Sorry, I was aiming for the car." Annabeth said, and then tried holding in her laughter.

My hairs flew to my deflated Mohawk. "My hair!"

With that, she laughed louder. I mustered up a smile to, and then found myself laughing along with her.

"Guys! Less flirting, more washing!" Bianca warned.

My cheeks warmed up a little, but we nodded and continued washing the car, splashing water on each other every now and then. After four cars we took a break. There was other people washing cars too, so about fifteen cars were done. We sat and ate sandwiches while waiting for other cars to arrive.

A few more did come, and then one specific one. Which was Luke's convertible. I wondered why this guy was appearing everywhere.

Annabeth immediately jumped up and offered to wash his car with Thalia. Thalia and Annabeth seemed to share a little joke as they walked over to Luke's car giggling. Luke was there with some guy, Nathan, I think, was his name.

Of course they flirted. Annabeth, Luke. Thalia, Nathan.

Of course Nico got jealous.

Of course Nico would walk up to the four and grill Nathan.

Of course Nathan would push Nico.

Really, Nathan started the fight by that push, but Nico made the fight serious by punching the guy in the nose.

I cursed under my breath and walked over to them. Nathan stumbled back and held his nose as blood poured out. _This is not good. _Nico kind of goes crazy when he's angry. I went to intercept, but Annabeth pulled me back. With that, Nathan's fist collided with Nico's stomach. Unfortunately for Nathan, Nico use to do boxing so that hardly fazed him, but Nathan did land a punch on Nico's right eye, right after Nico hit him in the chest.

Thalia stopped it before anything got serious. Not before she slapped both of them, but goes without saying. There was a small crowd, so Annabeth and I pulled Nico away while Thalia yelled at Nathan.

Nico's eye wasn't doing well; it was swollen shut and turning purple. "God, Nico, You're an idiot." I chuckled.

He managed to laugh. "A love struck idiot, I guess." He shrugged.

"_Aw._" Cooed Annabeth.

We stared at her, she blushed and apologized. "You alright?" She asked him.

He nodded, "Can you see if Thalia's alright?" He asked.

Annabeth left and I raised an eyebrow, "If Thalia's alright? You were the one in the fight!"

He shrugged again, "_Mentally. _I think I embarrassed her. If not that, then she's really angry with me."

I glanced back; Thalia was helping Nathan sit down while he grabbed his chest, wheezing. "At least you won."

"Not at all. Thalia's at _his _side, not mine." He muttered.

Bianca bright him ice wrapped in a mini-towel. He put it to his eye and sighed. I felt bad for the kid. I really did. He's fight for Thalia, literally, and she refused to do anything about it but lead him on.

"That's the last time I invite sophomores to a senior event." Bianca announced.

Nico rolled his eyes, or, his _eye,_ actually. I laughed, "I wonder why you did in the first place."

Later that day, Grover and Nico went over my house. We found out Nathan had a broken nose and two bruised ribs. All Nico had was an eye-patch over his right eye.

"Where was I during all this?" Grover asked while munching on a Tostitos chip.

"With Juniper." Nico and I said in unison.

He thought about it for a moment, "Oh, right. Never mind, then."

I chuckled and shook my head._ I pick the wrong friends._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Around the middle of next week, I realized Nico had been avoiding Thalia. I felt bad for the kid, and a little resentment towards Thalia. She was playing with his heart, and in the end, fighting for her, she decided to abandon him? If I was him, _I _would ignore her, too.

I sighed; he wasn't even at lunch because Thalia sat with us sometimes. I'm his best friend, should I try to go find him? I weighed the options, _lunch equals food which equals happy Percy. Finding Nico equals mushy bromance moment equals awkward. _I looked at my fries mournfully, and got up.

"Where are you going?" Annabeth asked, giving me a confused look.

I rubbed the back of my neck, "I'm gonna go find Nico." I said.

Thalia's eyes flew up to mine, and then shamefully found their way back to her food. I shook my head and left the cafeteria. I looked in the gym, _nope, not there. _I went to the weight room, a few of the football players were there, none of which were Nico.

I stepped outside; sometimes gym was held in the track field. I slipped my hands into my pockets and looked around. In the middle of the field, there were students doing jumping jacks.

I spotted Nico running laps around the track, wearing his gym clothes. I'm sure the girls in the gym period didn't mind, as they stared at him and giggled. _Please tell me he's not doing this for the attention. _I waited by the finish line for him. His eye was still tinged purple.

"You can't run away from your problems." I said, smiling at my pun. "Literally."

He laughed dryly, "Who says I am?" He picked up a bottle of water and took large gulps. He looked dehydrated.

"I do." I sighed, "I know you're avoiding her. Just say hi- do something. Don't make her think you _hate _her."

He wiped the sweat off his head, "I _can't. _I can't say _anything _to her without…"

"Exposing your true, undying love for her?"

He glared at me, "No. Percy, the thing is, the longer I avoid her, the faster I can forget about her."

"You can't… Avoid your problems; it'll just make it worse. Just start by actually being in her presence. Maybe she wants to talk to you. Maybe she has nothing to say. You can't live the rest of your high school life hiding from a girl." I told him.

"It's not that easy." He snapped, "What if you found out Annabeth's been stringing you along, but she's really after Luke?"

I'm sure he didn't expect that to hurt. It did anyways. "I guess I'll have to deal with it. I can't _make _her like me." I muttered. He raised an eyebrow. "I mean, if that was the situation."

"Uh-huh." He thought about it for moment, and then smiled coldly.

"What?" I demanded.

"I won't hide from her. In fact, I'll do the exact opposite. She got what she wanted- Nathan. I'm done with her then." He said, bitterly.

I frowned, "What are you going to do?" I asked him.

"Nothing! Absolutely _nothing._" He threw his arms up.

"Okay…" I was wondering if I helped him or not.

"I'm gonna hit the showers. See you later." He said, in a cheerful mood.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I helped him. Look how happy he is now! _I should stop lying to myself. _I made my way back to the cafeteria and set myself down at the table. Annabeth looked at Thalia, then back at me.

"_So? _What happened? Did you find him?" She asked.

"Yeah. He's good." I told her, I glanced at Thalia, who looked worried. _Oh, I'm sure I didn't help at all._

* * *

><p>I looked at Rachel with my eyebrows furrowed. She was saying something, but I was having trouble concentrating. She was saying something about Luke's party. I realized just hearing his name got me a little upset.<p>

No, it has nothing to do with Annabeth.

Well, maybe.

"- Can I?" Rachel was saying. I stared at her blankly. She chuckled, and gave me a side look, "I asked if I can go with you guys to Luke's party…" She seemed a bit nervous.

_What was she planning? _I glanced back at Annabeth, who was focused in her work and didn't even notice Rachel talking. "Sure, Red." I agreed, knowing all too well that I was setting myself up for disaster.

* * *

><p>That Friday, I met up with Grover and Nico an hour before Luke's party. I wore a green graphic shirt and jeans, Grover wore an orange shirt and jeans, and Nico wore a black button-up shirt opened, revealing a white V-neck under, and jeans, not really wanting to go the Luke's party, but knowing he'll end up there anyway if someone convinces him.<p>

We were in Nico's house playing pool. "You sure you want to go to this party, Nico?" I was saying, "Nathan's going to be there. With Thalia. I don't like Luke would appreciate a fight in his house."

Nico waved me off, "I'm good. I'm not going to miss an opportunity to party with a bunch of hot girls because Thalia decided she didn't like me. I won't fight him; I won't give him the satisfaction."

Nico sounded really mature. He was definitely up to something. I shrugged it off and checked my phone.

"Annabeth wants to meet up." I announced. Nico gave me a sharp look. "She's not with Thalia. Actually, she's with Juniper and… Rachel."

Nico's eyes widened, and then he got a sly look on his face. "Rachel, you say?"

"Shut up. She asked- I didn't want to reject her." I told him, hitting a ball into the hole.

"That didn't stop you last time." Nico sang.

With that, the conversation ended, and I finally won a game of pool.

* * *

><p>Annabeth looked gorgeous. She wore dark, skinny jeans, a silky, glittery gray, sleeveless shirt. On her feet were gray flats. Her hair was curled and she hardly had on any make up. I tried <em>not <em>to stare at her as she smiled at me. Juniper wore a pink half shirt and jeans, with sneakers. She, as always, looked naturally beautiful. _Rachel _was something else. She wore a red loose shirt tucked into a black, short and tight skirt, with black heels. Her hair was straightened, which was the first.

"Don't you girls look _beautiful?_" Nico cooed, earning blushing from them.

I rolled my eyes. Rachel chuckled, "You guys look pretty handsome as well." She said, staring at me, and then winked.

Nico couldn't get that smirk off his face. While Juniper and Grover started talking and walking to the party, Nico led Annabeth away from me and Rachel, who left me in a very awkward position, and Rachel totally oblivious to what Nico was doing.

She slipped her arm around mine and started talking. I don't know what she was saying; I was too busy yelling profanities at Nico in my head.

When we got there at around nine thirty, the party had already started. Loud music blared from the house, making the ground vibrate a little. People were in the front of the house, smoking. Inside, all I saw was people grinding, dry humping on the couches, and drinking.

Everyone went off to do their own thing, leaving me with Rachel and Annabeth. Rachel was flirting with me, while Annabeth just seemed bored. Or rather… Looking for someone. Her eyes lit up and she bounced on her toes. I followed her line of view, she was staring at Luke.

She turned to me, "Percy, I-"

"Just go." I said bitterly and looked away.

She frowned at me, and then was going to say something, and then someone called her name. It was Luke, of course. She bit her lip and drifted into the crowd. I tried not getting angry, but it's kind of impossible when the girl you're in love with wants someone else.

_Shit._

"Percy, want to get a drink?" Rachel asked.

I jumped; I had forgotten she was there. I glanced into the crowd. I saw Luke whisper something into Annabeth's ear. I looked at Rachel. "Sure." I decided.

One cup of alcohol was what it took for me to start dancing with Rachel. Two cups is what it took to start _really _dancing with Rachel. One _look _at Annabeth and Luke is what it took for me to boil up inside and flirt with Rachel a little more. I figured I'd had enough of Rachel for a little while, and went to the kitchen.

I filled another cup half way and glanced around. I spotted Thalia and Nathan talking with red cups in their hand in the corner of the large kitchen. Nico stumbled in with a girl – pretty, just another face in school. He made a scene with getting a drink for him and her, catching Thalia and Nathan's attention. Thalia didn't look happy at all.

Rachel stepped in, giggling. She saw me and gave me bright smile, I smiled weakly back. "Come on, Percy, let's go _dance._" She said, sounding a little bit _whiny. _

"Whoa, looks like I'm not the only one having fun tonight." Nico announced, loud enough so that Thalia heard.

He winked at Thalia and left the kitchen kissing the girl. Thalia glared at me, grabbed Nathan's hand and stomped out of the kitchen. I glanced at Rachel, finished my cup, and followed her out of the kitchen.

I decided I had enough drinks. Good thing I can hold my liquor. Rachel and I tried to dance to a Spanish song that came up, but we failed miserably and ended up cracking up. It wasn't too bad. I looked for Annabeth at the wrong time. I couldn't exactly find her, because her head was inching very close to Luke's.

She caught my eyes and hesitated. I didn't get to see what she did, though; I was too busy looking at Rachel because she had kissed me. _Want to know the next stupid thing I did that night? _I shut my eyes went with the flow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Rachel's lips were soft. As I kissed back, I got a bad feeling in my stomach and pulled away. She was grinning at me, I smiled and looked around. I couldn't see Annabeth, or Luke. Rachel pulled me in again, but this time, hungrier. I started finally enjoying the party, or, at least, the girl I was making out with, when I heard a yell.

I pulled away and looked around. Two people were fighting. Rachel went on her tip-toes to see what was going on. I saw a flash of black here a cursed, rather loudly. I pushed through the crowd to see what happened.

Nico was glaring at Nathan with his hands clenched on his side. Nathan had his hand firmly interlocked with Thalia's, he was smiling smugly. Thalia looked like she wanted to cry. The girl that was with Nico was trying to pull him away, but not succeeding.

"You really wanna go again, Nathan? You want something else broken? How's your nose?" Nico taunted, getting closer by the second.

"That was pure luck, _diAngelo._" Nathan sneered

"Nathan." Thalia warned.

"Stay _out _of this, Thalia." Nathan growled.

That made Nico _so much _angrier. He turned red and was about to go in, when I slid through the crowd and pulled him back. Not really pulled him back, I almost popped his arm out of his socket. Annabeth appeared at my side and helped me take Nico away, who was yelling and cursing at Nathan. Nathan was being held back by Thalia and Luke.

"Nico! Calm the fuck down!" I yelled angrily. "I'm fed up with you fighting that kid all the time, what exactly have you got to gain? Thalia will come around!"

He pushed himself from mine and Annabeth's grasp. "Whatever." He muttered. He grabbed his hair angrily, and then stuffed his hands in his pockets. He started to walk ahead, and then stopped and turned around. "You _know _why he's after Thalia, right?" He asked me.

I furrowed my eyebrows and thought for a moment. "Zoe?" I questioned.

He smiled evilly. He really _did _look intimidating. Now I get why guys are afraid of him. "Because of _Zoe._" He repeated.

"Who's Zoe?" Annabeth asked, concerned.

Nico glanced at her, and then back at me, "Guess who called me earlier today, saying she was coming back?"

My eyes widened, "_No, _is she really?" I asked, in disbelief.

He nodded, "He wants Thalia, fine. He can have her. I have something better. In his opinion, anyway." Nico shrugged.

It's hard to believe Nico was about to fight someone just a few minutes ago, he seemed so calm now. "Nico, aren't you tired of playing this game?"

Annabeth nodded, I distanced myself from her casually. "Nico, stop playing around. It's not funny anymore." She said.

Nico smirked, glanced at me, and then looked back at her, "Oh, I'm not the only one playing around, princess." He said, winking at her.

We both frowned, "What do you mean?" She asked.

He shrugged, "Don't mind me." He said and walked ahead, leaving us behind.

We stopped a few houses away from Luke's. I sneaked a look at Annabeth. She was biting her lip worriedly. For some reason, the feel of Rachel's lips came back. I felt my neck go hot and turned around. I thought about Annabeth and Luke. Did she really kiss him?

I got that uncomfortable feeling in my stomach again.

"Percy," Annabeth started.

"_Percy!_" A voice rang out through the darkness.

We both turned. There was Rachel, speed walking towards us. I swallowed back a groan and forced a smile. Rachel reached us and linked her arm around mine. She grinned, looked at Annabeth, and then smiled even wider. I studied Annabeth's face for a reaction.

"Hey, Annabeth. Luke's looking for you." Rachel commented.

Annabeth glanced at me, opened her mouth, and then closed it. She sighed, "Bye, Percy."

She walked away, leaving me with the red-headed nightmare. Rachel dragged me down the street, talking about nonsense. I realized I never listen when she talks. Her voice was unlike Annabeth's. Annabeth's voice was smooth and calm, with just the right amount of girliness. Rachel's voice was more excited, loud, and higher pitched.

Rachel laughed at something, and my thoughts went back to Annabeth. Annabeth's laugh was cute. She would lean forward slightly when she laughed, and cover her mouth. I don't get why she covers her mouth, she's gorgeous. And she's got good teeth.

"Rachel, have you been drinking?" I asked.

She picked her words carefully, "I've had about six cups." She said, her voice small.

I chuckled, "Thought so."

Maybe I can learn to tolerate Rachel

* * *

><p>The following Monday, I was <em>dead. <em>I felt like a zombie, just moving around school automatically. At lunch, I was glad to finally sit down and relax. I put my head down, and felt others sit in the table. The smell of food filled my nose and I hurriedly got up and got my lunch.

"Percy, about the other night, I didn't do anything _too _bad, right?" Rachel asked, as I sat down next to her.

Beside me, Nico stifled a laugh. I could tell Rachel remembered what happened that night, but she just wanted to see if it was alright with me. Was it alright with me? "No, no you didn't" I found myself.

Her hair was curled. It suited her better. Instead of something large, and flashy, she wore a band-t-shirt and jeans. She smiled, "Oh, alright." She looked like she wanted to say something else.

Grover and Juniper sat down. "I heard you guys were the life of the party," Juniper giggled.

I grinned and shook, my head, "I'm sure Nico and Nathan were."

Nico raised an eyebrow at Juniper and Grover, "Where were _you_ guys the whole night?"

Juniper blushed and Grover munched at his apple, trying to hide his red face. The party left our conversation and we spoke about everything, really. Our chattering died down when Annabeth and Thalia approached the table.

"Hey, Annabeth." I smiled, I glanced at Thalia, ""Hey… Thalia."

Nico looked down at his food, smiling. They both looked at him curiously. The others greeted them, and they were about to sit, when we all heard someone's voice yell a certain name. We all turned. Half of the cafeteria turned. Walking towards us was a girl. She had long, shiny black hair, caramel skin, large dark eyes. She wore a simple gray, long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans, with black sandals. She had gold earrings, _real _ones, not fake, and a gold bracelet.

Zoe Nightshade was probably the greatest girl I've ever met. After… Annabeth. Of course. She had a great personality; she was funny, smart, flirty, and just fun to hang around with. You're never bored with Zoe around. She can be pretty stern, though. She's one to follow the rules. She's also insanely beautiful; she looks sort of like… a Persian princess. She's also incredibly rich, which is how she and Nico met.

"Nico!" She called out. She stopped a couple feet away, "You've gotten taller."

"It's only been a year. I think you got shorter." Nico commented.

She grinned and then wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a hug. He hugged her back. They best friends, longer than me and him. She's really the only girl he's never really tried to get with. They were exactly alike, except, he doesn't follow the rules. At all.

She let go of him and glanced at me, a sly smile creeping across her face, "Don't tell me… Hair? You cut it! What else…" She glanced at Rachel, who was right by me. She smirked, "You have a girl!"

My face turned red, but I hugged her anyway. She was a good friend of mine, too. "Zoe, how _great _it is to see you!" I said sarcastically.

"Don't use sarcasm with me. I invent the language." She said, winking.

"_Co-_invented!" Nico argued, putting his arm around her. I laughed and shook my head. "Zoe! This is Rachel, Percy's girlfriend, Annabeth, and Grover and Juniper, and, uh, her." He carelessly pointed at Thalia.

The girls at the table looked stunned. Thalia had a scowl on her face, glaring at Nico. Zoe hit him lightly, "Nico, don't be rude. Honestly, I would have thought you changed a little." She grinned while saying this, making Nico roll his eyes.

She slipped away from him and held her hand out to Thalia. "Hello, I'm Zoe." She said, politely.

Thalia narrowed her eyes, but didn't take her hand. "Thalia. It's a pleasure." She purred.

Annabeth smiled, "Nice to meet you, Zoe."

"Likewise." Zoe smiled, frowning a bit at Thalia.

Then, Luke and Nathan stopped by. I could see Nico getting uncomfortable. Luke took Annabeth's hand, she blushed. I had to force myself to look away to keep from staring. Nathan slipped his arm around Thalia's waist. Zoe's face fell. She stiffened, everyone's moods shifted.

"Awkward…" Rachel muttered.

I grinned, _jeeze, Rachel. _Nico put his arm protectively around Zoe, Nathan glared at him. "Zoe… back in town?" Nathan said, uncomfortably.

She gave him a tight smile and nodded. Really, I don't get why anyone would like to cheat on someone like Zoe. Luke muttered something into Annabeth's ear; she nodded, and then waved at us, and left the cafeteria. Nathan and Thalia followed them.

I tried to keep my heart rate slow. I almost lunged at him. Zoe took a deep breath and sat down, and then started talking to the others. I suddenly realized something. I punched Nico in the shoulder.

"Rachel, Percy's _girlfriend?_" I hissed.

He chuckled, "Relax, I was just helping you out."

I glared at him. "I wish I let you fight at that party."

"Now, now, Nathan wouldn't have destroyed this pretty face of mine." Nico responded coolly.

"Nico, shut up." Zoe said.

"Okay."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The next few days went smoothly, until I asked Rachel to meet me at the mall. Lately… She's been extremely annoying. I think it was just because I _don't _like her and she likes me _too _much. She was sort of smothering me. She was very clingy. I couldn't handle that anymore.

I slid my hands my pockets as I waited around for her. Finally, she stepped out of her limo, smiling at me. She was wearing a red jacket and black slacks. I'm sure she was about to go meet her father. She grinned as she neared me and hugged me. She went to kiss me, but I turned my head slightly and her lips landed on my cheeks.

She frowned, "What's wrong?" She asked, putting a hand on my arm.

I rubbed the back of my neck and didn't meet her eyes. "Rachel… I think we should, err, break… up." I muttered.

She stared at me and removed her hand. I looked at her. Her eyes watered and she backed away. "What? Why?" She demanded.

I cleared my throat, clearly uncomfortable. I don't know if I should lie or tell her she was annoying and clingy… "Um, you were sort of… smothering me…" I managed.

_Wrong thing to say. _Her eyes widened with fury and she set her hands on her hips. "Oh, I was _smothering _you!" She exclaimed. "Sorry if I _liked _you, Jackson! Sorry I _cared _for you!" She yelled.

"Rachel, come on, you're making a scene…" I said, under my breath.

Several people were looking at us. "I don't _care! _You break up with me because I'm smothering you? You know what? Fine! _Bye!_" She yelled and spun on her heels.

She stomped back into the limo and slammed the door shut. Nearby, I heard an old couple mutter something about us kids and love nowadays. I smiled sheepishly at the people staring and began walking.

I sighed and sat down at a table. I took out my phone and was about to text Annabeth, when I yelp caught my attention. I looked over to the side and saw a girl had fallen and the bags in her arm fell. I jumped up and helped her with her bags.

"You alright?" I asked, handing her the last one.

She laughed nervously, "Sure, if you call being completely embarrassed in front of tons of people at the mall." She sighed.

I grinned, "It's not all that bad. At least a very attractive boy came up and helped you. You seem more like a damsel in distress. People would kill to be you." I chuckled.

She laughed, "Oh, that makes me feel so much better. You're a bit conceited." She told me.

I gestured her to sit down with me. I really didn't know what was compelling me to talk to her, but whatever it was, it was urging me on. "Just a little proud." I shrugged. I smiled at her, "I'm Percy Jackson."

"Calypso Adams." She smiled.

I studied her for a moment. She had long, chocolate-brown hair in a high pony tail. Her skin was a smooth caramel color, and her eyes were a light brown. She wore a loose, peach colored V-neck shirt and jeans. She carried about five bags. She was really pretty, and didn't even look like she was trying to be.

"It's nice to meet you." I reply. "What brings you here?"

She sighed, "I just moved here, from Florida. Just doing a little shopping. You?"

Florida, nice. I nodded, "I'm here because I just broke up with my girlfriend." I replied, not really thinking as I spoke to her.

Her eyes widened slightly and she raised an eyebrow, "Breaking hearts?" She chuckled.

I laughed, "Not exactly… I think. She seemed more angry than upset."

"Oh, Percy. That's how girls react to a break-up. She probably _is_ hurting a lot inside." She said.

I groaned, "You're making me feel _worse._"

She laughed, "I'm sorry. Can I ask why you ended it?"

"Too clingy."

"Ah." She replied, nodding.

I stared at her for a while. "Can I get your number?" I asked, suddenly.

She seemed a little surprised, but nodded, grinning. We exchanged numbers quickly. Then, her phone rang. She shot me an annoyed look and picked it up. "Hello? Yes, dad. Yes, dad. Of course, dad. Right away, dad."

She sighed, and glanced back at me. "You have to go?" I sighed unhappily.

She nodded, "We should hang out some other time."

I smiled, "Of course."

She grinned and waved, and then hurriedly left the mall. I sat there for a couple of minutes. I finally realized what happened. _That was quick… _I whipped out my phone and texted Annabeth, although I was a little hesitant. We were supposed to hang out later- to meet at the park.

The next message she sent me almost sent me punching the wall. She wanted _Luke _to come! Out of all people!

Then, an idea popped into my head. It was insanely ridiculous. A little immature, too.

_Oh, well._

I marked calypso's number; she picked up on the second ring. "Hello?" I heard her soft voice say.

"Hey, it's, uh, Percy. Can you do me a tiny, _teeny _favor?" I pleaded.

I heard her sigh, "Sure, what is it?"

"Can you pretend to be my girlfriend?"

"_What?_"

"Please! It's this girl, I really like her, she's my best friend and she's got a boyfriend. Only, I really don't like him. We were supposed to hang out, but then she invited him, and I just _really _want to-"

"Make her jealous by bringing me?" Calypso finished for me.

I sighed, "…Maybe? What better way to make her jealous than to bring a gorgeous girl with me?"

She chuckled, "Gorgeous, eh? Oh, alright. When and where?" She asked.

I grinned, "Today, at the park. I'll text you where it is. At around six?"

"Alright. See you then."

"Thank you, oh sweet girlfriend of mine." I sang.

She laughed and hung up. I excitedly brought out my phone and sent a text to Annabeth. _Sure, Luke can come. I'm bringing someone, too._

I was too excited.

* * *

><p>I met up with Calypso a little before I was supposed to meet with Annabeth and Luke. She had let her hair out and it framed her face perfectly, giving her a natural look. I noticed she had several different colorful bracelets on her wrist. Other than that, she had no jewelry. Her hands were in her back pockets as she grinned at me. It was a bit windy, so her hair flowed around freely.<p>

"I wasn't exactly sure you were actually going to come." I said, picking my words carefully.

She laughed lightly, "If you actually _knew _me, you'd know I actually go through with what I say."

I raised my eyebrows in mock surprised, "But you're my _girlfriend!_" I exclaimed.

We sat down on a bench and faced each other, "Alright, so how about we actually _learn _things from one other, eh?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

I smiled "Alright then… Favorite color, thing to do, sport, food, and music." I said.

She thought about it for a moment, and then grinned, "Green. Read. Softball. Spaghetti. I listen to everything mostly, but I really like Indie. How about you?"

I chuckled, "Alright, uh, Blue… Swim… Anything blue… And, everything."

She shook her head, "Did I just hear you say _anything blue_?"

I laughed, "My mom adds blue dye to most things she cooks. It's tradition." I told her. I leaned forward, so that our knees were touching, "What's _Indie_?"

She sighed, "Not many people know what that is. It's kind of surprising. I can't really explain it… You'd have to listen to it to know what it is."

"Maybe you can show me sometime."

She leaned forward, so her face was a few inches from mine. "Maybe I will."

"Hey, Percy!" Someone exclaimed, and we both jumped back.

There was Annabeth, her blonde hair loose. She wore a black sweater and jeans. Her hand was interlocked with Luke's who was grinning at me. Her gray eyes shone brightly.

"Hey, guys." I greeted, giving Annabeth a hug, and Luke a handshake. I went back to Calypso, who was standing and smiling. "This is Calypso, my _girlfriend_. Calypso, meet Annabeth and Luke."

I took Calypso's hand and realized she was a bit nervous. Annabeth's eyes widened, "Girlfriend? What happened to Rachel?"

I waved my hand dismissively, "She and I were done a while ago."

"If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have gotten together." Calypso said, chuckling.

I laughed, giving her a wink, and nodded. "Well, then, this is great!" Luke exclaimed. "Let's go grab some pizza."

The four of us walked to the pizza shop and sat down at a booth. I sat next to Calypso, who sat across from Annabeth, who sat next to Luke. We ordered a slice each and then began talking. Luke and Annabeth did much of the talking, while Calypso and I mostly played around whenever they weren't looking. Not _that _kind of playing around, but poking each other and making quiet jokes.

"So, Calypso, nice name by the way, where do you come from?" Luke asked.

She put down her soda and rubbed her hands on her jeans. "I'm from Florida. Moved here a couple days ago." She said.

He nodded, and then Annabeth stepped in, "A few days ago, hm? How did you and Percy meet?" She asked accusingly.

I stifled a laugh and looked at Calypso, who was trying not to laugh as well. "Well, I was sort of shopping…"

"She had a _ton _of bags_._" I interrupted, rolling my eyes.

She pushed me softly and grinned, "I was shopping, when I, being as clumsy as ever, _fell._ This kid decided to be chivalrous and help me up, and then we hit it off."

"I remember after you sat down with me, you looked completely lost." I smiled at her, "Like a cute, lost girl who had been completely embarrassed in front of tons of peoplel. Then, her father called, and she had to leave, so we only talked for about ten minutes."

She laughed quietly. "I remember it… like it was earlier today." At that, we both started laughing.

Annabeth and Luke stared at us, but we didn't stop laughing. Finally, we calmed down as our food came. Luke and I finished quickly, but the girls took a while. After eating, we headed out back to the park.

Luke and Annabeth took seats on the swing, while Calypso took another. I was about to sit on one, when I had a _great _idea. I took Calypso's swing and pulled it back.

"Oh, god, Percy! I just ate and-" She squealed as I let go and pushed her more. She was really high up now, but laughing cheerily.

I laughed and then stopped the swing, stepping in front of it, and keeping her still. Our laughter died down. We were really close now. Suddenly, I forgot I met her a couple hours ago. I forgot that she was my pretend girlfriend. I forgot about Luke and Annabeth curiously watching us.

I was so close to her. Our noses were touching. I was beginning we'd get cross-eyed if we stared at each other any long.

Then, I saw the smile on her face. The smile turned into a cute, little giggle, and then a laugh. A smile slowly made its way to my face, too. I chuckled as I realized that was all… a joke. Primarily, to get back at Annabeth and Luke.

Liking each other wasn't the plan.

We laughed it off, so I hugged her instead. Annabeth and Luke look confused after that.

Finally, I had to get home. Annabeth and Luke left before us, although Annabeth seemed a bit… distant. I thought maybe I had gotten to her, until I saw her and Luke make out when Calypso and I were talking.

I walked Calypso home, buying her an ice cream on the way. We stopped in front of her house. "Thank you for this amazing _fake _first date, Percy, dear. It's been a pleasure." She said dramatically, running her fingers through her hair.

I suddenly thought of her as on old friend… Not someone I just met. She was just so easy to talk to. Funny and flirty. She was no Annabeth… but I liked the idea of her being… _her. _Not _Annabeth. _I smiled at her, "Anything for my supposed girlfriend."

We stared at each other for a while. "How exactly does a fake couple… part?" She asked, keeping up a strange, medieval accent.

I had no choice to go along with it. "I suppose, sweetheart, this is when our lips meet in a passionate kiss?"

She chuckled, "Ah, dear, you're going to _have _to show up at my door on a horse with a dragon's head. A shiny armor would be lovely, as well." She informed me, a slight smirk on her face.

I sighed dramatically and miserably, "Thou request the most…eth impossible… eth."

She rolled her eyes and ruffled my hair, "Oh, shut up." She said, smiling. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

She started walking into her house. "Have a nice sleep, honeybun." I called out.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite, my cuddlybear!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I tapped my foot on the floor repeatedly at the lunch table. I had eaten my lunch already, and everyone was settled and talking. Nico and Zoe were throwing food at each other, Juniper was studying for a test, Grover was lovingly admiring her, Annabeth and Luke had joined our table, much to my dismay, but Thalia was nowhere to be seen, along with her empty-headed boyfriend.

I was waiting for the one and only Calypso. She had mentioned she was going to this school, today in fact, but I hadn't seen her at all. I sighed, not knowing why I was so disappointed. Nico caught this and smirked, I groaned inwardly, knowing what he was about to say.

"Waiting for your girlfriend, Percy?" He asked smugly.

I have to mention that he went against the whole thing, saying it was going to backfire. I ignored him, as usual. Juniper looked up, "I really want to meet her, from what Annabeth says, she sounds nice." She said, smiling.

I glanced at Annabeth, who smiled sheepishly at me. _So… she talked about Calypso? To someone else? Possible more people? Does that mean she's jealous? _Probably not. Grover chuckled, shaking his head at me. Only Nico and Grover knew that was only my pretend girlfriend. As I thought about it, I thought it was awfully strange. A pretend girlfriend. Extremely childish. But, also sort of fun. Calypso seemed to be enjoying herself as well.

"Percy! What about Rachel?" Zoe asked, frowning.

"We were never really together. _Nico _claimed to everyone we were, so I 'broke up' with her to set the record straight." I announced, sighing.

Zoe glared at Nico, who smiled expectantly at her. She rolled her eyes and complimented Annabeth's hair. Nico threw a fry at Juniper, who scolded him and threw one back. Luke leaned over and asked Grover something about the environmental club.

Everyone seemed to be socializing but me, because I was waiting for my faux girlfriend.

Ah, the perks of being a teenager.

My phone vibrated. It was a text from Calypso. I read it and looked up at the lunch room doors, confused. I saw her waving at me frantically, telling me to go to her. I stood, telling everyone I'd be back in a minute, and stepped outside the lunchroom.

Calypso threw her arms around my neck, giving me a tight hug. I stumbled back, surprised, but hugged her back. She pulled away and I noticed she looked extremely nervous. I studied her quickly, her hair was slightly curled and to the side. She wore a blue, long sleeve shirt that showed her bare shoulders. She had tight jeans and blue vans on.

"Cal, what's wrong?" I asked, frowning.

"This is my first time going to a different school since I was a kindergartener. I'm nervous. What if no one likes me? What if everyone shuns me? _What if I pass out in front of everyone from nervousness? _Oh, god, I'm already feeling lightheaded." She breathed deeply.

I chuckled, rubbing her back. "It's going to be alright, you'll see. No one here does that. I like you, don't I? Annabeth does, as does Luke! They've already told people how great you are, believe it or not."

She smiled a little, "You sure? If you're completely wrong, I'll have to kill you."

"I'll take that bet." I said, smiling. I took her hand, "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."

We stepped inside the lunch room. A few other students looked up, wondering who the new girl was. I led her to my table. "Everyone," I announced, "This is Calypso. Calypso, this is Nico, Zoe, Annabeth, Luke Juniper, and Grover."

Calypso gave them a shy smile. Every one smiled or waved, or both. I sat, pulling her down to the last available seat at the table. Juniper instantly complimented her on her hair. Zoe admired her shirt. Grover asked her what she thought about cutting down trees. Luke asked if she liked it here so far. Nico made fun of her being with me, and Annabeth merely smiled.

Calypso seemed overwhelmed. "Well, it's nice to meet you all. You seem like very nice people." She breathed, seeming a little more relaxed.

"See? It's not so bad." I whispered in her ear, grinning.

She laughed softly, "Maybe not. At least I don't have to kill you." She replied, poking my cheek.

"You seemed relieved."

"Only because having a _relationship _with you is pretty entertaining."

"Entertaining?" I repeated, smirking.

"Don't act like you're not enjoying it. I'm not so bad, eh?"

"Of course not. By the way, you say _eh _a lot."

She pushed me lightly, shaking her head and smiling. I noticed everyone watching us, a stupid smile on their faces. I couldn't resist my face feeling a little hot, Calypso was also blushing. After a few minutes, it was like she'd been here the whole year.

Bianca strolled by, holding a stack of papers. "Oh, jeez, this isn't another car wash, right?" Nico groaned.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Never again. But, I _am _here to promote the Homecoming dance. You sophomores _are _aware it, right?" She asked.

Grover nodded, "Yeah, but isn't it a little late?"

"It _is _in about three weeks. Sort of a short notice." Juniper added.

Bianca waved her hand, "Nonsense. Here, have a bunch of flyers, remember fifteen dollars for a ticket." She said and walked away to the next table.

"I'm going with Nico!" Zoe announced loudly, a satisfied smirk on her face.

"What makes you think I agree?" Nico scoffed.

She thought about it for a moment, "I can blackmail you. Remember when we were seven at the park? Aha, you-"

"I'm going with Zoe!" He interrupted. Zoe gave me a wink and stuffed the flyer in her bag.

"I'm going with my girlfriend." Luke said, kissing Annabeth's cheek.

She blushed, "Seems like your girlfriend is looking forward to it." She replied and pecked him on the lips.

I had to restrain myself from glaring at him, jealously bubbling up in my stomach. Juniper ruffled Grover's hair, "I'm going with this handsome fellow, of course!"

He smiled, giving her a big kiss on the cheek. I chuckled at them, shaking my head. Calypso studied her schedule, not really paying attention. I played around with my phone. I suddenly felt their eyes on us. Calypso and I looked at each other.

"I guess I'm going with… Cal?" I said, unsure.

She looked confused as well, "Um… Sure?"

The others laughed and went back to whatever they were doing. Calypso and I gave each other nervous smiles, knowing we had to keep this whole relationship thing going.

That Friday, Nico, Zoe, Annabeth, Calypso, and I hung out in Times Square. We walked down the

* * *

><p>street slowly, laughing and enjoying each other's company. Luke wasn't there because he had a wedding to go to. I have to say, I've actually warmed up to him, he's not too bad. I still don't like him with Annabeth, though. At all.<p>

It was around six. I wore a blue hoodie and jeans. Next to me, Calypso had her hair up; she had a green hoodie, and tight jeans. She looked really pretty. She held an ice cream cone piled high with vanilla and sprinkles; same as mine, except mine was chocolate. It was melting as we walked, so she was trying to lick it all before it made a big mess. It was very adorable.

I laughed as some got on her chin. "You have a little…" I gestured towards her face.

She frowned, "What?"

I chuckled and took out a napkin and wiped the bit of ice cream away. She blushed, looking embarrassed. I grinned, "You're cute." I said, without thinking.

She raised an eyebrow, and smirked slightly, "Don't tell me you've forgotten the mission, now." She whispered, settling her hand on my face lightly.

"Hey, Percy!" Annabeth said, rather loudly. Calypso winked, I looked at her, confused, and back at Annabeth, whose smile looked a little forced. "Let's go to Toys R Us!"

Nico and I laughed while the girls nodded, "What? What are we, five?" Nico chuckled.

"Come on! It'll be _fun! _There's actually a buncha cool stuff!" Zoe begged, shaking Nico.

He glanced at me. I sighed, "Alright, alright. Let's go to Toys R Us." I announced.

We followed the girls into the large mega store. As I looked around, I realized it wasn't that bad. Fly helicopters almost beat the shit out of me, though. Calypso and Zoe went downstairs, leaving Nico, me, and Annabeth.

I started getting nervous when Nico went off to find Zoe. He left me and Annabeth alone, and we immediately fell into an awkward silence. We walked through the screaming kids silently. Our hands brushed and she blushed. My heart skipped a beat.

She stopped and turned to me. "Hey."

I looked at her curiously, "Hey…"

"I haven't talked to you in a while." She said, sighing as she looked at me with her bright gray eyes.

I swallowed, "We talked today. We're talking now."

She rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean. Talk as in, _alone. _Like how we used to."

I turned my head slightly, not able to look at her in the eyes. "Probably because you have a boyfriend and I have a girlfriend. We're a little distracted…"

She frowned, and I finally met her eyes. She looked miserable. "Yeah… I guess. I thinkwe should still hang out, though. Without all the drama…"

I smiled slightly, "That'd be great."

She stared at me for a little longer. Normally, my stomach would be flipping. I'd be nervous being with her alone, so close, too. But, now… my nervousness was still there, but not the normal kind of nervousness. I kept wondering, _what if Calypso saw us? _Annabeth was _really _close to me, what if Calypso saw us, and thought we were doing… something?

I was suddenly worried that I'd ruin my relationship with Calypso.

_But, we don't have an actual relationship. _

_Yes, but, still, you with her. Everyone thinks so._

_It's not like its cheating, she knows I like Annabeth._

_Oh, please, she's still your girlfriend._

_Fake girlfriend!_

_Shut up with the fake girlfriend thing! You know every bit of you moments spent together is real. You like her!_

_Nah, ridiculous._

_Is that why you're always thinking about her, rather than Annabeth?_

…

_Exactly._

_Oh, shit. This is not good._

"Do you think Cal likes earrings?" I blurted out, stepping away from Annabeth slightly.

Annabeth frowned. She turned away and chuckled softly, "She's hasn't been wearing earrings. I don't think she likes jewelry that much."

I nodded, "We should go look for them and grab something to eat."

She sighed, "Sure, Percy."

I trailed after Annabeth as she went downstairs. My thoughts were whirling. What have I gotten myself into?


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Two weeks later, it seemed everyone was talking about the dance. Even Nico was, although it was just about what he was going to wear.

"She's going to wear a _pink_ dress! How girly is that? That means I have to wear a pink tie. She's lucky I look nice in pink." Nico complained, taking food from my fridge.

"You seem a little excited." Grover said, reading a comic.

Nico rolled his eyes. He sat down across from me. "What's Juniper wearing?" He asked.

"Green of course. I'm wearing a black suit." Grover grinned.

"Everyone's wearing a black suit; do be so upbeat about it." Nico grumbled, taking a bite out of a huge sandwich.

"I'm not." I said, absently, thinking.

"What are you wearing?" Nico asked accusingly.

"I got white suit and a blue tie. Cal's wearing blue." I said, not really paying attention. I've been daydreaming a lot lately.

Nico smirked, "Aw, how cute. _White, _stepping it up, bro!" Nico laughed and high-fived Grover.

I finally tuned into the conversation and rolled my eyes, "You're ridiculous." I said.

Nico leaned forward, "What _is _the deal with you and Cal? You guys seem to be getting real close. Closer than a fake relationship would allow."

I shook my shook, "What are you talking about? We're just close friends. She knows I like Annabeth."

"_Do _you like Annabeth? You blew her off a couple of times to be with Cal." Grover added.

"How do you know?" I argued.

"Annabeth told me." Grover shrugged.

I showed my shock. "Do you still like her or not?" Nico asked.

I frowned, thinking about it. "I really don't know…" I said, surprised at my own words.

"That proves it!" Nico suddenly yelled, making me jump. "You like Calypso!"

"_Sh_!" I grabbed my hair, "Jeeze, Nico!"

Nico smirked, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know anything, Nico. I don't know what I'm going to. I don't know what to think." I groaned.

"Guess we'll find out on Homecoming." Grover said, grabbing a snack from one of the cabinets.

"Yay." I muttered darkly.

* * *

><p>The next Saturday night, at around eight, Grover, Luke, and I met up at Nico's house. I wore my all white suit, along with my blue tie. My hair was a perfectly organized mess. Nico's suit was all black with a pink tight. Grover's suit was black, and his button-up white, his green tight was squinted. We all had a drink before the girls got there.<p>

"This is going to be an entertaining night, I just know it!" Nico exclaimed, holding his cup in the air.

"Cheers!" Grover said, and we all took a shot.

I shook off the sour taste and looked down at my phone. "They're outside." I said.

Nico let them in, and I was absolutely stunned.

Juniper's dress was strapless and to her ankles. It was dark green, and it suited her perfectly. Her hair was straightened, which was the first, and she looked amazing. Zoe's pink dress was one-shoulder; it was tight around the chest area and a puffy around the waist. It was silk, I could tell, and looked really expensive. Her hair as curled and she looked gorgeous. Annabeth was wearing a silver dress with a low V-neck; I was shocked at how much it showed. Luke must've liked it a lot. Her dress was loose and long. Her hair was straightened and she looked beautiful.

Calypso's dress was strapless. The light blue was a soft silk. It was tight around the chest, and a little loose around the bottom. It was short, it stopped around mid-thigh. She wore black heels and held a blue handbag. Her hair was wavy and it looked longer than I thought it was; it fell pass her shoulders nicely She had little makeup on, on eyeliner. I think she looked… indescribable. I could not stop staring at her.

"You look stunning." I whispered to her, as I slipped my arm around her waist.

She gave me a kiss on the cheek, I could feel her smiling, "You look pretty nice, too, hotshot." She winked.

I swear my heart skipped a beat.

"You look beautiful, girls." Nico said, smiling at Zoe.

She smirked, "It's what we were aiming for, Nico."

Luke gave Annabeth a kiss, and strangely, I wasn't bothered by it. Juniper gave Grover a hug, and they whispered to each other and giggled.

"Come on, girls! A drink for everyone." Nico handed out small cups to the girls.

"What about you guys?" Juniper asked, looking at the cup suspiciously.

"We already drank." Luke said. We nodded.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Let's get this over with." She said.

They raised their glasses, "Cheers!"

Calypso shook a little at the taste, but grinned. We all slipped outside, ignoring the cold, and stepped into Nico's car. The ride took about five minutes, Nico was driving pretty fast. We hopped out the car and to the school.

The gym was huge, so I bet it was hard to decorate. Streamers hung from everywhere, colorful lights flashed everywhere. Music blared from the speakers. The DJ was doing his job in one corner. There was a long string of tables with food on it. Tables sat around the perimeter of the gym. People were already dancing, half of which were not sober.

Everyone quickly disappeared, until it was just Calypso and me. I turned to her, still mesmerized. "Would you like to dance?" I asked.

She grinned, "Duh!"

She pulled to the dance floor and we danced. A little awkwardly at first, but as the songs progressed; we slipped closer and closer to each other until we were pressed against each other. I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed just _being _with Cal. I think she felt the same way, too. We could not take our eyes off each other. She was also a _really _good dancer. Especially when a bunch of house music came up, I was having a little trouble keeping up.

Finally, after an hour of non-stop dancing, we took a break. We laughed loudly and too much as we grabbed food and drinks and headed to a table, where Juniper and Grover were sitting. They were talking amongst themselves, laughing.

We settled down and ate the fires on our plastic plates. Then, Nico sat down at the table, almost falling. Cal and I laughed at him.

"You alright, Nico?" She asked.

He nodded, grinning, "I'm so hype, man." He said.

I sighed and shook my head, "Where'd you get more liquor?" I asked.

"Travis. And Conner." He replied causally,

"Where's Zoe?" I asked.

"Either trying to get another drink from Travis or dancing with Conner." He responded, taking some of my fries. "Travis probably won't give her any, since she's a girl."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Calypso asked.

Nico shrugged, "We're not together or anything. I don't care if she hooks up for Conner. I care for her well-being, but she can take care of herself." He spilled a little of my drink as he tried to drink it.

Zoe came out of nowhere and gave Nico a large kiss on the cheek, and then ran away giggling. We laughed as Nico looked astonished and got up, chasing after her. I shook my head, "They're exactly alike"

Cal laughed and then quieted down for a second. She turned to me, "Percy, do you still like Annabeth?"

I hesitated, "Um…"

She shook her head, smiling, "Sorry, that was random. Forget I asked, alright? Let's go dance. I love this song!" She exclaimed.

She grabbed my arm and jumped up, dragging me to the middle of the gym. After a few songs, a slow song came up. Calypso had put her hair up, and I abandoned my white jacket, it was super-hot. We looked at each other and shrugged.

I put my hands on her waist and pulled her closer to me. She slid her hands around my neck, grinning. We danced in silence for little while, and then just started talking. About how she liked the school, New York, and the people.

"Percy, I have a confession." Calypso said, sighing.

I twirled her and then pulled her close, getting nervous. "What?"

She took a deep breathe. "I really like you. Like, a lot. For a little while now. I was afraid to say anything because I think you still like Annabeth. I mean, I thought so, not so much anymore. You _are _still in this fake relationship with me, so I just assumed you still liked her. That's why you still hang around me, so she can finally notice you. I just have to know something. Do you still like Annabeth?"

I stopped moving. I struggled for words; I didn't know what to say. I was nervous as hell. My heart was going a mile a minute. Also, I swear my face was bright red. That proved one thing, I totally liked Calypso, but do I like Annabeth? Do I still have feelings for her?

Something caught my head. I glanced to the right, and saw Annabeth running through the crowd of people, rubbing her eyes. Luke was by the door, frozen, looking surprised.

I suddenly felt cold as Calypso pulled away from me. "I knew it. You still like her." She said quietly, laughing softly. She refused to meet my eyes. "If you do, I can't do _this _anymore. It'll hurt too much." She abruptly turned away from me and left through the back entrance.

I stood there, thinking about what just happened. Annabeth, the girl of my dreams was probably crying because something happened with Luke. Annabeth, the girl I've known since I learned what puberty was. Annabeth, the girl I tried for so long to get to like me.

Calypso ran because of me. Because I got her hopes up about us. I probably made her cry. I always felt so comfortable around her, and I was never bored when I was with her. There was never an awkward moment.

I cleared my throat as I made up my mind. I went to Travis Stoll and took the drink form his hands, knowing I was going to need it. I suddenly felt like I was on the verge of discovering something amazing. I smiled to myself and ran.

* * *

><p>I burst through the doors of the gym and ran around the school looking for her. I looked everywhere, except outside. I went out the back entrance. I burst through the doors and spotted her leaning on the railing, her back towards me.<p>

Her blue dress ruffled softly in the cold wind. She had put her hair down and it whipped around. She was looking up and barely looked back as I approached her.

"What do you want?" She growled, sniffling.

I stood next to her, begging her to look at me. "Why else would I be here?"

"Annabeth turned you down?" She asked bitterly.

I chuckled, "I didn't even _try _to go after Annabeth. I thought it, yes, but I realized I like _you. _Not _her. _I want you in my life right now. She's had her chance. With you, I just feel like I'm _me, _not like I'm someone else who craves your attention. I do _not _have feelings for her anymore, and I can prove it." I stepped closer to her.

She turned to me, glaring. "How do I know you're not lying? I do I know you're over her?"

I smiled, looking down at her, "I'm here, aren't I?" I breathed, before leaning down and crashing my lips onto hers.

Every sense in my body came into view. The smell of her coconut perfume. The taste of her cherry chap stick. Her surprised yelp. I could feel her trying to push me away, but eventually gave in and pulled me closer. I opened my eyes slightly, and saw her grinning into the kiss. I shut my eyes and pressed forward, cupping her face into my hands. My heart raced. I felt like the happiest man on Earth.

"Does that answer your questions?" I asked as I pulled away, both us breathed heavily.

She grinned and pulled me in for another kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

**Guys, calm **_**down! **_**Anything could happen in this story; I wouldn't want it to be predictable. *Smiles evilly* Percy and the gang still have the rest of the school year to go through, and of course high school never goes smoothly. So, bear with me, alright? Thank you (:**

**Chapter 10**

The Homecoming dance was fun. They next weekend was blur and Annabeth looked messed up. Whenever I went to talk to her, I'd get distracted, so I planned to hang out with her Friday. _But, _I was doing something with Calypso that day, and the next. So, really, we didn't get to talk until two weeks after Homecoming, on Friday. Calypso was totally cool with it.

"Hey, Annabeth!" I called out right before she escaped the school.

She turned, although slightly hesitant. She looked pretty. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore a simple red hoodie and jeans. Her bag hung low on her shoulders and she had a large binder pressed into her chest. "Yeah?"

"Come over today." I said, as we walked out the school together.

She bit her lip, looking nervous, "Um, now? You sure? Is Cal-"

"She's cool," I chuckled, "Yes, now. You doing anything today?"

She shook her head, "Nah, but… Why?" She looked suspicious.

I smiled at her, shaking my head a little, "I can't hang out with my best friend? Come on, Annabeth, we haven't talked in weeks. I'd like to change that," I shrugged.

She grinned, "Alright, alright, no need to get mushy about it."

Once at my house, we dropped out bags and sat on the floor in front of the couch, like we always do. My mom was home so she made cookies, of which I mostly ate. We watched a movie and just talked about everything, until I finally got the courage to ask her what was wrong.

"Nothing." She shrugged.

They lights were off and the TV was muted, but on, putting a glow on us. She wrapped the blanket around herself tighter and refused to meet my eyes, "Tell me right now. What happened Homecoming night? Did you and Luke break up? What did he do?" I asked, growing angry.

She shook her head, "Percy, let it go, please." She pleaded, lifting her knees up to her chest.

"Tell me." I demanded. She stayed quiet. "Annabeth!" I whined, turning to her and poking her face. "Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me."

"Fine! My god, you're annoying!" She swore, glaring at me.

I smiled, "Okay, so do it."

She sighed, "'Luke and I were dancing. Then, he refused to, um, kiss me, so I asked what was wrong. He told me someone told him that I was cheating on him. I wasn't! I really wasn't! He though I was cheating on him… with you."

"Me?"

"Yes, _you. _So, of course I told him I wasn't, and he believed me, but then he started saying how I don't want to be with him anymore and he knows I'm interested in someone else. I tried to tell him I wasn't, but I couldn't exactly tell him that because it would be half lying. So, he broke up with me…" She took a deep breath and looked at me expectantly.

I stayed quiet for a few seconds, and then sighed, "When can I beat him up?"

"Percy!" Annabeth warned, slapping me in the arm.

I chuckled, "I was joking. But, seriously, do you want me to talk to him?"

She frowned, shaking her head, "No, no. That's the last thing I want you to do. He already has it out for you." She sighed.

I frowned, "Me? Why? I thought you said he knew you weren't with me. He knows I was with Calypso."

"Yeah, that's exactly why he knew I wasn't cheating on him. He just wanted to talk to me about it first. But, he has it out for you, because the person he thinks I'm interested in… is you." She looked down suddenly; she looked everywhere but at me.

I stared at her, surprised. My head was spinning. She's… interested in me? She had said she tried telling him she wasn't interested in _me, _but it was partly a lie. So, a part of her likes me? I tried racking my brain around that, but I couldn't grasp the concept.

"Are you?" I suddenly asked.

She got up, "I don't know, Percy. I really don't. I should go." She said.

I jumped up, grabbing her arm, "No, Annabeth _talk _to me! You don't have to leave." I told her, frowning.

She bit her lip. "I don't think it's a good idea…"

"I need you to explain this to me." I know I was making her incredibly uncomfortable, but we settled on the floor. "Why didn't you say anything?"

She rubbed her eyes, "Because, Percy! You have a girlfriend! A pretty, sweet, awesome girlfriend! You have a great relationship, much better than me and Luke had. He was always so serious."

I randomly smiled, "So… you were jealous of mine and Cal's relationship?" I asked, grinning.

She laughed, "Oh, don't get a big head Seaweed Brain."

"You know that's impossible, Wise Girl." I replied, making her smile even more.

She groaned, "See? That's exactly why Luke knew I liked you! You smile and I just lose it a little. It's so annoying! I hate you Percy." She crossed her arms stubbornly, glaring at the floor.

I laughed, "Sorry for being totally amazing and handsome!" I said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes, "You're full of it."

"Hey, you're the one who just expressed her love for me. How can I not get a little cocky?" I chuckled, having a _swell _time at the moment.

"Percy!" She exclaimed, turning red, "You're so not helping!"

I swallowed down a laugh and looked at her. She was frowning, and looked fairly flushed. "Annabeth… What exactly do you expect me to do? I'm sorry, but I really like Calypso, and I want to give us a chance to work." I said quietly, on a more serious note. I tried not making it obvious that we had really _just _started the relationship.

"I don't expect you to do anything!" She almost yelled, making me jump. "Sorry. Okay, look, I admit it, I like you, Percy. I know you don't see me that way, you have a girlfriend. I expect you to do absolutely nothing. I shouldn't even told you this, oh my god. I'm so sorry!"

"Annabeth, it's alright. It's nice actually knowing what's going on with you." I told her.

"This is different though. I'm telling you I _like _you. I really don't want things to be weird between us." She turned to me, determined.

"Of course not!" I said, and tried not feeling weird as I gave her a hug, but that was probably the only weird moment I had with her.

She looked relived and leaned back against the couch. "Good. If I see you acting weird, I'll punch you." She warned, turning her attention to the TV and grabbing the remote.

"No, you won't. I'm too gorgeous. You like me too much." Pause. "Ow!" I rubbed my arm, where she punched me.

She smirked, "Let's watch _The Blob!_" She squealed.

I scrunched up my face, "Ew, why is it in black and white?" I asked.

"It's a classic, shut up. We're watching it."

Our conversation bothered me a little. I really didn't want feelings for Annabeth popping up again, I do like Calypso, and I don't want to hurt her. Annabeth telling me this was definitely going to affect me and Calypso.

* * *

><p>I jumped as my phone vibrated half-way through the movie. Annabeth was watching the screen intensively, I was happy for a distraction. It was Nico.<p>

"Nico, what's up? I asked, getting up.

"Open your fucking door right now." He said, sounding excited.

"Watch the profanity." I sand, going to the front door. I hung up as I opened, and Nico came rushing in. "Why couldn't you just ring the doorbell."

He was grinning, "I was running here and didn't want to stop."

He opened my fridge and took out a Gatorade, and then walked to the living room. He raised an eyebrow at me as he saw Annabeth watching the movie. "Don't." I told him.

He shrugged, and then smirked. He sneaked up behind Annabeth, silently. "Boo!" He yelled, as he grabbed her shoulders.

She screamed and jumped up and then tripped and fell on her back. I burst out laughing as she groaned, Nico did, too. "Nico, you asshole!" Annabeth yelled, getting up and hitting him multiple times.

I laughed as I neared them, "Annabeth, are you alright?" I asked, still laughing.

"No!" She yelled, shrilled.

"Oh, calm down, I'm sorry." Nico said. I turned on the lights as Nico rubbed Annabeth's back. "I need to tell you guys the reason I am here right now." He said, trying to sound superior.

I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms, "Why are you here, Nico?"

Annabeth was practically sleeping as Nico massaged her. He grinned, "Guess who broke up!"

"Who broke up, Nico?" I asked.

"Thalia and Nathan!" He replied.

"Knew that!" Annabeth jumped in.

"Thanks for telling me, princess. But, did you know they broke up because she liked someone else?" He challenged.

"Yep."

"Did you know that someone was me."

"I believe so."

"Did you know she has a new boyfriend?"

"What?"

"Did you know that new boyfriend is me?"

"_What?_"

"Seriously, man?" I asked, grinning.

Nico did a little dance, "Hell yeah! I'm taken, by the one and only, Thalia Grace!"

"I happy for you, bro!" I said, slapping him on the shoulder.

Annabeth shook her head, smiling, "It's about time anyway."

Nico was still doing his weird dance. "I've got the greatest girlfriend _ever._" He sang.

"_Ha! _You're joking right? I think you forgot about Calypso and me!" I exclaimed, chuckling. Nico rolled his eyes, he was too happy to say anything. I suddenly quieted down and looked at Annabeth, waiting for her reaction.

"Aw, you guys are cute." Annabeth said, setting a hand on her waist and grinning. She looked unaffected.

"Double date, bro!" Nico pointed a finger gun at me and shot.

Could he make Annabeth any more uncomfortable? "So that Cal and I could watch you and Thalia go at it? No, thanks." I told him.

"Come on!" Nico pleaded, flicking me on the head annoyingly.

"Fine, fine!" I slapped his hand away.

"Now I see where you get your annoying habits from." Annabeth laughed.

We laughed, and then Nico sat on the couch, "What movie we watching?" He asked.

Annabeth and I rolled out eyes and sat on either side of him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

I laced my arm around Calypso's shoulders as we entered the lunch room. I kissed her on the cheek before sitting down. She took a textbook out of her bag and a notebook. She took out a pen and quickly got to work. I watched her silently, smiling.

"What?" She asked, her eyes not straying from her book.

"You're such a nerd." I commented.

"I rather be a nerd than failing."

"Hey!"

She laughed, "I'm not insulting you, I'm just saying, in general."

"I know, I was joking." I smiled.

She stuck her tongue out at me and got back to work. We were the only ones at our table. I faced Cal and ran my fingers through her hair while watching her absently. Nico and Thalia sat down, grinning.

"Do you know what they have today?" Nico asked, excited.

"Nachos!" Thalia answered, grinning.

I chuckled, "Nachos isn't all that great." I said.

Thalia gasped, Nico glared at me. Cal sent me a sly smile, "You don't like nachos?" She asked.

"They're alright," I sighed.

"You're such a square." She rolled her eyes, fixing her pullover sweater.

We all stared at her, "Square?" Thalia chuckled.

She blushed, "I'm trying to bring that back!"

"Never going to happen!" Juniper laughed as she sat down, followed by Grover.

"Yes, it will!" She argued.

"Whatever." Thalia grinned.

"Aw, I believe it will, babe." I said, smiling at her.

She grinned, "Thank you, Percy." She said and pulled me close and gave me a kiss.

"Get a room." Zoe slammed her tray on the table and ate grumpily.

Annabeth sat down after her. I noticed how full the table was. "What's got your knickers in a twist?" Grover asked.

Annabeth sighed, "Drew called Zoe a slut in front of everyone because she was talking to Conner. Zoe would've punched her if I wasn't there."

"Bitch." Zoe muttered.

"We can go talk to her, if you'd like." Thalia said, glancing at her.

Zoe smiled evilly, "Oh, don't worry, I know what to do."

Cal raised an eyebrow, "And what's that?"

Zoe pushed her tray away. "Conner saw what happened, and he offered his services because he does not like Drew at all."

Nico laughed, "You guys are going to prank her?"

"Of course!" Conner appeared behind Zoe, tapping her head.

"Nothing harmful, though! Remember what happened last time?" Juniper said, accusingly pointing her fork at him.

He waved her away, "Yeah, yeah. Who knew hairspray was flammable?"

"Everyone knows that!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"Oh, the details," He grinned. "We're going to come up with a plan to prank her. It'll probably happen next week."

"If you say so." Grover shrugged.

"This is going to be epic." Zoe smirked.

Cal gave me a look, and I shrugged. Things settled down at the table after Conner left. I turned to Calypso after she finished her work.

"Let's go on a date." I said.

She smiled, "A date? Are you being serious?"

I frowned, "Well, if you don't want to…"

"No, no! I just thought it was a little strange. Sure, let's go on a date." She grinned, ruffling my hair.

"Friday?"

"Of course." She gave me another kiss before turning back to her work.

* * *

><p>A few days after that, I was at Nico's place. Nico and Thalia were playing a video game. Cal and I were making things with a giant bucket of Play Dough she bought. Zoe and Annabeth were laughing about something at the table, and Juniper and Grover were doing homework. It was the whole gang, actually. Which was the first.<p>

"What do you wanna see tomorrow at the movies?" I asked Cal as she laid herself on me on the couch.

"Something scary," she replied.

I raised an eyebrow, "Scary? I was expecting a chick flick."

She rolled her eyes, "Chick flicks are for wimps!"

"I agree on that!" Thalia exclaimed, her eyes still trained on the game.

"I don't! I love chick flicks. Have you _not_ seen _The_ _Notebook_?" Annabeth cried.

"Oh, please! Really Annabeth?" Zoe laughed, "That movie was _alright._ Action movies all the way!"

Juniper stood, "No, no, no!" Everyone stopped and looked at her. "It's all about Environmental Documentaries!"

"That's my girl!" Grover exclaimed.

We all groaned, and laughed. Then, Thalia cried out. "No! Nico, that's not fair, I was distracted!" She jumped on her feet, setting her hands on her hips.

Nico smirked, "You should've paid more attention!" She glared at him and crossed her arms, standing up straight. "Come on, Thals, what am I supposed to say, I'm sorry I won?"

"Mm… Yes."

"Alright, I'm sorry I won," He said, taking her by her hips.

"Guys, take it somewhere else," Zoe said, stepping into the living room.

Nico rolled his eyes taking Thalia's hand on sitting on the love seat. Nico's eyes widened suddenly, "Fuck, I forgot, guys, guess what? Ah, guess the fuck what!"

"You curse way too much?" Juniper suggested.

"You got your first C?" Grover asked.

"Your dad got you a car!" Annabeth threw in.

"Your dad got me a car?" Zoe chuckled.

"You're throwing a party!" Cal exclaimed proudly.

"You're crashing a party?" I shrugged.

"Jeeze, guys," Thalia said, laughing.

Nico glared at everyone, "I know. Anyway, you know how my birthday's in a few months?" He waited patiently.

"Yes." We all sighed.

"Guess what my dad agreed I can do!" Nico stood, bouncing on his toes.

"Just tell us!" Grover exclaimed, everyone nodded.

"A cruise with all of us!" He did a weird happy dance.

I grinned, "Seriously? That's fucking awesome! When?"

"In, like, a month. I'm so freaking excited." Nico sighed happily, sitting back down and holding a smiling Thalia close.

"Whoa, we're gonna have so much fun," Juniper said, smiling.

"All expenses paid!" Nico added and everyone cheered.

"Your dad is way too cool," Cal said, settling into my arms.

"I know. _And _no supervision, _at all. _As in, my parents aren't going to be on the boat. There is also going to be this teen thing, so there's gonna be a bunch of other people our age."

"Good! We won't be surrounded by old people," Juniper chuckled.

"Yes! Annabeth and I _need _guys to party with, since you're all taken," Zoe and Annabeth high-fived and laughed.

I glanced shortly at Annabeth, who was grinning and was already talking to Zoe about what'd they do. _Was she over me? _I shook the thought out of my head and looked at Nico as he continued.

"I'm bringing drinks, so is Thalia. Make sure you let me know you're going in, like a week, so my dad could get the reservations. Hm, what else? Bring enough clothes and shit to last three days." Nico looked satisfied, as if he was already dreaming about the three days of heaven.

This was going to be too freaking cool. I glanced at Cal, so had a sly smile on her face. "What are you smiling about?" I asked, chuckling.

She shrugged, "Nothing," She smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy :( But, here's the next chapter! Also, if anyone's wondering, they're in November. I've moved the date of Nico's cruise party to march, so instead of it being two months away, it's about three… haha, sorry for the misunderstanding.**

**Chapter 12**

After the movie, Cal and I walked around Manhattan. We ended up going to a small outdoor café and grabbing a coffee and a bagel. We made small talk and joked around, happy to be alone for a while. We made small talk, talking about school, Nico's cruise, and the like. She fell silent and looked down, making be concerned.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked, frowning. She looked near tears as she tried to talk. I moved from my seat across from her and pulled the chair so I was right beside her. "Tell me."

She rubbed her teary eyes, "It's my dad. His job."

I wiped the tears away and held her face, "What happened?" I asked, her sadness making me feel terrible.

She took a deep breathe, "Remember how I told you we moved here because my dad got transferred? Well, they want him back in Florida." She said, sounding depressed.

I let the words wash over me, staring at her with wide eyes, "You're moving back to Florida?" I asked, not even caring my voice cracked.

This time the tears flowed freely. I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly. At that moment, as she sobbed quietly on my shoulder, I didn't want to let her go, right now, and if she moved back to Florida. I realized my feelings for Calypso were pretty serious. I don't want her to move. I…

"I'm so sorry," Cal said abruptly, parting herself from me and wiping her puffy eyes, "I shouldn't have cried, it's just, I really like you. I can't even think about me being hundreds of miles away from you. I think we should break up. The faster we get over each other, the better, if I'm going to be in another state."

I watched her as she grabbed her things and ran out the shop, stunned. _Why the hell am I sitting here doing nothing? _I grabbed my jacket and ran outside, chasing after her. She was already a block away, practically running.

I caught up to her and grabbed her hand, spinning her around to face me, "Cal, if you are moving, I don't want to spend the rest of your stay here away from you. I'd spend every moment with you, if I could, until you left. I can't deal seeing you and… not having you."

I brushed off a stray tear and she looked up at me with her brown eyes. She looked down, and then back at me, and kissed me. I grabbed her waist, pulling her close to me as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

The kiss quickly escalated, and before I knew it, I had her against the wall of a building. My hands slipped into her back pockets, pulling her even closer, if that was possible. Her fingers ran through my hair and I found myself wanting more. I kissed her neck and she gasped lightly, surprised, and our lips met again. It suddenly got a lot warmer in the chilly weather as her fingers rested on my loop and my hands went to her neck.

Then, I heard a car beep around the next block and it took a lot to pull myself away from her. I took a step back, scratching the back of my neck and breathing heavily. Everything faded back into view and I was aware we were still on the streets of Manhattan and there were a few people around us giving us judging looks.

I looked at Cal, who looked fairly flustered as her chest heaved. Our eyes met and we released shaky laughs. She bit her lip, now seeming more shy and embarrassed than sad and depressed, like she was moments before.

I didn't know what to say, thankfully, she spoke before I said something stupid, "That was, uh,"

"Yeah," I finished, clearing my throat.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, resting her fingers on her lips. She seemed to me thinking hard. I was suddenly aware of what just happened. Cal and I aren't alone long enough for us to go any farther than exchanging a few kisses. We're not the kind of couple to make out all hardcore like, like Nico and Thalia. We were more conservative. I could tell right now that we were both thinking the same thing.

She studied me, and I tried not to shiver has cold air crept back into my body. "So, uh, your dad?"

She remembered what led us to this in the first place and sighed, "I have until the end of this school year to convince him to stay."

I smiled, wrapped my arms around her, a little warily, though, and said "Looks like we have a mission, then- to convince your dad to stay."

She grinned, "I guess so."

"So, no breaking up?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She laughed and gave me a light kiss, "Of course not. I wouldn't dream of it."

I put my arm around her shoulders and she put her arm around my torso. We walked in sync, and her hand drifted down and she hung her index finger loosely on my belt loop. My thoughts strayed to out heated session moments before and I glanced at her. She had a small smile on her face and looked down, her eyes following the cracks on the pavement.

"Looks like I'm going to have to tell you how much I like you more often, if it means we-"

"Percy!" She exclaimed playfully, rolling her eyes while I smirked.

She didn't move her hand away from my belt loop, though.

* * *

><p>"Zoe, you evil little bitch!" Shrieked Drew, as she pointed an accusing finger at our table.<p>

We all stopped eating and looked at Drew, and I couldn't help but smile. Drew's hair was a bright green and her skin was a pale green, as well. Zoe smirked, looking smug, and stood to face Drew wither arms crossed.

"Drew, something wrong?" She asked, sounding innocent.

I let out a chuckle, not taking my eyes off the green girl. Drew's face turned purple with rage as she tightened her fist. I swear steam almost came out her ears. Everyone looked over and spotted Drew and started laughing.

"You did this to me!" She screamed, "You put green paint in my shampoo and body wash!"

Zoe tried not to laugh as she shook her head, "You have no proof. I did nothing." Zoe smirked and walked over to Drew and said to her quietly, "Don't ever mess with me again."

Drew was glaring at her the whole time, shaking with anger. Zoe turned around, smiling at us. Drew must've snapped because the second Zoe turned back around and giggled at her, she lunged.

Then, Connor came out of nowhere and quickly grabbed Zoe, pulling her away from Drew's attack. Drew ended up falling on the ground, and the whole lunch room cracked up. Connor laughed, too, and wiped away fake tears as Drew scrambled to get back up. Drew looked at Connor, and then back at Zoe, who was the only one not laughing. She was watching Drew closely.

Then, tears gathered in Drew's eyes. She looked around at everyone laughing at her and snapping pictures, and then back at Zoe. Zoe stared at her, surprised she was crying. She stepped forward, but Drew pushed past her and went running out the lunchroom.

"That was great! I really hope someone got a video of that," Conner chuckled, putting his arm around Zoe.

Zoe smiled weakly, "Yeah…"

After everything settled down, Zoe sat back down at our table, which was letting out soft chuckles. Juniper and Annabeth were frowning at her.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" Juniper asked, eating a fry.

"She had it coming," Zoe replied, but didn't look too convinced.

Annabeth sighed, "I know, but, the girl was crying."

"I'm sure Drew would've done something a lot worse," Nico said, and shrugged.

"How did you manage to pull this off?" I asked, grinning.

Zoe smiled for real now, "Connor spilled honey all over her while she and her friends hid under the bleachers during gym. He ran before they saw who it was. While that was happening, I was filling her shampoo and body wash with paint. Of course she went back to the locker rooms to shower and change, and… yeah." She looked satisfied.

She winked at Connor at the next table, and he put his thumbs up at her. Cal laughed, "I feel bad for her, but, yeah, she deserved it."

Everyone else nodded and we continued eating. I glanced at Cal who was smiling as she ate, probably replaying the scene that happened a few minutes ago. It's been almost two months since she and I had a fake relationship, and one month and half a month since we actually started going out. We've agreed to just say two months. These two months, though, they've been great. After she told me about how she might move back to Florida when school ended, I'm making it a point to last that long. Hopefully, she'll stay.

My eyes drifted from Cal and to Annabeth, who quickly looked away from me. _I thought she was over me…? _

"So, guys, the cruise. We're going on my dad's private plane to Mexico, the cruise will be waiting there, and we'll hop on it. It's been extended to four days. It goes to Florida, we'll chill there for a while, about a day or two, and then the private plane will pick us up there and take us back home. All good?" Nico said, looking at everyone.

We all nodded excited, but the same statement rose in all of us, Grover spoke up and said it, "Nico, I can pay for it, you dad doesn't have to."

"Yeah me, too," Thalia agreed, as did everyone else.

Nico rolled his eyes, "Oh, please, guys. It's _my _birthday, and my dad agreed to it. It's not like this is making a big hole in our bank account. Don't worry about anything," Nico replied, grinning.

I always forget Nico's super rich. He's never told me what his father does, though. I kind of don't want to find out. His dad and Zoe's mom are partners, so I don't want to find out what Zoe's mom does either.

I was looking forward to this trip. Especially if I'm with Cal.


	13. Chapter 13

**The guys are in need of a bro-day, don't you think?**

**Chapter 13**

I crossed my arms as Nico went on and on about how he and Thalia did _it _for the first time. Together, anyway. I wonder if he realizes how much I _don't _want to hear about him and his sexual relationship with Thalia. He probably does, and just wants to torture me. Grover was shaking his head, trying to ignore him, too.

"-She's great, I'll tell you that. How have I been missing out on her all my life?" He finished, sipping on a can of Monster.

"Why must you try to traumatize me? I don't think I'll ever look at Thalia the same," Grover groaned, throwing a grape at Nico.

Nico grinned and caught the grape, plopping it into his mouth, "It _entertains _me, Grover. Have you and Juniper-"

"Don't even finish that sentence. We're not like that…" He blushed slightly as Nico laughed, "And, plus, she's saving herself for marriage."

Nico raised an eyebrow, "Is she now? How do you feel about that?"

"Drop it, Nico," sighed Grover.

Nico chuckled and looked at me, I smiled shaking my head, and said "Me and Calypso haven't either."

"Have you talked about it?" He asked, sitting down and propping his feet on the table.

I leaned against the wall, shaking my head, "No, not at all. Lately though…"

"Oh?" He said, interested.

"We've been getting a little…"

"Horn-ay for each other?" Nico finished.

After a few moments of silence, we all started cracking up. After we calmed down, Grover chuckled, "I can't with you, Nico."

"Seriously," I laughed, shaking my head.

"Don't change the subject!" Nico exclaimed, finishing his second can of Monster.

I rolled my eyes, "If you wanna it put it that way, yes. Every time we're alone we just… attack each other, I don't know… And it gets more heated each time," I was slightly uncomfortable talking about this to Nico and Grover.

Nico raised an eyebrow, "Does she know you and Rachel…"

"I think so… Zoe told me she mentioned it to Cal, 'cause she asked her about me…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, Calypso asked Zoe if you're a virgin?" Grover exclaimed, eyes wide.

I nodded, "Should I be worried?" I asked.

Nico laughed, "And Zoe told her you and Rachel had sex?"

I frowned, "I guess that's a bad thing?"

Grover shrugged, "What if Cal is sort of…"

"Trying to get to Rachel's level?" Nico finished. He sighed and glanced at me, "Here's what I think: Cal finds out you and Rachel did the bow chicka bow wow, thinks _'omg, what if I don't do it with him and he gets bored and leaves me?' _so then she's like, _'omg I should probably give him what he wants' _and that's why she's been all over you lately. Brilliant, right?"

Grover and I stared at him. "Cal sounds nothing like that," I stated. Grover nodded, agreeing.

Nico rolled his eyes, "Please tell me you actually understood what I'm saying?"

I nodded, sitting down on the table. "Yeah, I do. Cal thinks if she does it with me, I'll stick around…"

"And if you don't, will you stick around?" Grover asked, shaking his hair around.

"Of course," I told him. Rachel was a mistake. It's not like I wanted to… Well, a little, but I don't base relationships on sex. The few relationships I've had, anyway.

"Then, you need to let her know. Who knows, maybe she asked Zoe that because she's not a virgin," Nico shrugged.

I shook my head, "Nope, she's a virgin…"

"I wish you luck, young jedi," Nico lifted his third can of Monster at me, and drank as if it was a toast.

"Dude, you've never even watch Star Wars," Grover said.

Nico shrugged, "So? That means I can't make references to it?"

Grover held his hands up in defeat, shaking his head. I smiled, and then sighed, "How exactly am I supposed to tell Cal that I'd like her, even if we don't have sex?"

Nico thought about it, but clearly didn't as he proposed his plan to me. "Go up to her. Look her in the eye Then say; _I like you more than sex. No need for you to get all fake-horny. Maybe I'd like to do it in a few months, but right now I'm good. _How does that sound?"

"Completely horrible," I admitted, frowning at him. "I can't just say it outright. Girls are sensitive."

"You could just let her seduce you and that's that. Everyone's happy," Nico told me, smiling.

"No, I can't do that," I replied, "She thinks it's the only way to keep me with her, and if that's the case, I don't want her to do something she doesn't want."

Nico rolled his eyes, "You're such a sap."

I glanced away irritably, "Thanks, man. I appreciate it." My mom entered the house with Paul, laughing hysterically and carrying bags of grocery. I smiled, "Hey, mom, Paul."

"Hello, Ms. And Mr. Blofis," Grover greeted.

_She's still a Jackson, Grover. Technically… _ I thought. Nico flashed her a smile, looking like the charming, innocent child he wasn't, "How are you two doing on this fine evening?" he asked.

My mom smiled, pinking his cheeks, "We're doing _great, _in fact, Percy, we have something to tell you."

I began to get suspicious. I looked at Paul's excited face, my mom's nervousness… _her hand on her belly. _"Mom! Are you pregnant?!" I practically yelled.

My mom smiled brightly, "Yes… I am!" She was clearly not paying attention to my horrified expression.

_Way to throw me off ever having sex again, mom. Now I'll just be thinking of _how _you got pregnant. Ew, okay, think monster trucks and Ferraris and burgers. _I sighed, "I'm happy for her mom. You, too, Paul."

The two giggled like little girls and fished a book of names from the bag my mom held. They practically skipped away, leaving a trail of rainbows behind them.

"Never looking at them the same way," I announced, looking into the grocery bags.

"Hey, you might have a kid brother and/or sister to boss around," Nico shrugged.

I thought about. I was going to have a younger sibling. If it's a boy, I could teach him how to play baseball, and if it's s girl… Looks like the only guy she'll be talking to is me and Paul. It might not be so bad.

I smiled, "I'm going to be a big brother," I told them, taking a box of doughnuts out.

It was weird. Grover, Nico, and I, were the only kids in our households. Soon, it was just going to be Grover and Nico. "Lucky ass," Grover muttered.

"You never know, they could be horrible. Like, poop in your shoes and stuff," Nico shrugged, taking a doughnut.

I laughed, "God help the child if it does."

* * *

><p>Later that day, after we ate dinner, Grover, Nico and I sat in my room playing a video game. We were talking about the girls, as usual, when Nico suddenly looked at me. He had curious face if his. Like he was wondering how I looked bald.<p>

"Hey, Perce, whatever happened to Annabeth?" He asked.

His attention went back to the game after Grover killed him. I shrugged, attacking the controller, "Nothing, why?"

"Does she still like you?" he asked, his eyes not leaving the TV screen.

Grover looked at me, surprised, and then groaned when Nico killed him, "Annabeth likes you?"

"Get with the program, Bro," Nico responded.

"Well, does she?" Grover asked, killing me.

"I'm not sure, I mean, I catch her staring at me a few times, but she's not doing anything about it. She's keeping her distance. Which is good, what if I start catching feelings again?" I grinned as I managed to kill both them.

"You don't like her?" Grover asked.

"I have Cal, and I'm perfectly happy," I told him.

Both Nico and I groaned as the game ended. Grover had won. "You didn't answer his question," Nico said, turning to me. "Do you?"

"Course not," I scoffed, "I mean, she's still my best friend, but I don't think I like her anymore. When I see her... I don't get those feelings anymore."

Nico nodded, "That's good. Does that mean you don't mind if I hook her up with one of my friends?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, Nico has plenty of friends from weird places, "I don't mind, unless he's the ultimate creep. I still care for her wellbeing, you know."

Nico rolled his eyes, as he did so often, "He's not a creep. His name's Edward Martinez. He's from Pennsylvania and he's moving here to New York in a few days. I was planning on having a little get-together when he gets here. He's coming on the trip to Florida, by the way."

"I've never heard you mention him," Grover said, taking the last doughnut.

"We haven't talked in a while. His like a family friend. Almost like my cousin. We go way back. He told me a few days ago he's moving here, and I just don't want him feeling out of it," Nico shrugged, as he also did very often.

"Wait, are you caring for someone's wellbeing?" I asked, shocked. He narrowed his eyes at me and pushed me, and I almost fell off my seat. I laughed, "Okay, fine. But it's not like I'll get jealous of him and Annabeth. I have Calypso."

Grover didn't look too sure, "Didn't it take Luke being with her to realize you like her? What if her liking someone else brings those feelings back?"

I glared at Grover. "You're putting ideas in my head."

Grover chuckled, "Alright, sorry. Edward sounds like a cool kid."

"Good, cause by a few days, I meant tomorrow, so that's when I'll have everyone together," Nico said casually.

"Nico! Why didn't you tell us before?" I asked. "Cal and I have plans!"

Nico smirked, "To do _what?_"

I sighed, rubbing my head, "Stuff. I'll see if I can make it."

"Oh, you're going," Nico warned.

I groaned. Nico was full of surprises.


End file.
